


Tales of Shadows 2: The New World

by ArchdemonSlayer



Series: Tales of Shadows [2]
Category: Blue Dragon, Naruto, Tales of Destiny, Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Combined Worlds, F/M, More Spirits, Tailed Beasts as Entelexeia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 69,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5573047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchdemonSlayer/pseuds/ArchdemonSlayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after the Adephagos, tensions are rising between the Union and the Empire as the blastia are slowly being replaced. But that isn't the only problem going on. In the world of the Shadow Wielders, Dimensional Rifts have been going out of control, sending towns to Terca Lumires. Now Brave Vesperia and the Shadow Wielders must fight to prevent war from happening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunion

I know, I know I said that the sequel wouldn't be a crossover. But I got stuck and realized it was easier with the crossover. However, simply having Shu and the others enter another Dimensional Break didn't seem too appealing. Then I thought about all the other characters that could be in it. And then I went back to the Dimensional Break again and an idea popped into my head...  
\--------------------------------

"Flynn, another one appeared."

"Another?!" Flynn stood up from his desk, staring at Mist through disbelieving eyes.

"Once again, the town appeared once a black portal vanished and Terca Lumires expanded a little more," Mist continued.

"Where is it located?"

"Just on the coastline east of New Aspio."

Flynn sat down again, rubbing his forehead. During the past week, two towns mysteriously appeared on Terca Lumires. Not only that but the planet itself seemed to get larger each time. And now a third had appeared. The citizens in the towns were too confused about what happened to answer the questions given to them by the Imperial Knights. And as if that wasn't the only thing going on, tensions were rising once again between the Empire and the Union.

"What should we do, Flynn?" Mist pressed.

"Oh right," Flynn said, snapping out of his daze. "We should head for it. More than likely it's from the same world."

"So should I ask Judith if we could borrow Ba'ul again?"

"Sure. Go on," Flynn mumbled, waving his hand dismissively. Mist saluted and left the room, closing the door behind her. Flynn sat up straighter, talking again without turning his head. "Yuri, you need to seriously work on your hiding while eavesdropping."

Yuri slid through the window, putting a hand on his hip. "You knew I was there the whole time?"

"It was hard not to notice with you rustling the leaves on the tree," Flynn replied flatly, switching his gaze to his friend. "We're gonna need to borrow Ba'ul again."

"Judy's already ready with him," Yuri replied. "We saw the town appear while we were flying on him and figured you'd wanna check it out." He then got a devilish grin. "Haven't you and your wife had a honeymoon yet with all your work?"

Flynn blushed and glared at Yuri. "That's none of your business!"

"You do also remember her 20th birthday is in a few days too, right? Woudn't make a great husband if you forgot it."

"I'm perfectly aware of when Mist's birthday it!" Flynn snapped, quickly losing his patience. A month ago, a wedding for Mist and Flynn was held. Ever since then, Yuri has not stopped holding it over their heads. Flynn stood up, ready to give Yuri a piece of his mind when Mist came through the door again.

"Judith's already prepared for depar- - Yuri! What are you doing here?!"

"Well, well! If it isn't the newlywed girl!" Yuri exclaimed with a grin. Mist narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're pushing it...!" she growled.

"Enough!" Flynn shouted, his eyes closed tighly in annoyance. When he opened them again he looked over at Mist. "Let's get on board, then."

"Right," Mist replied. They were about to go through the door when Mist turned and glared at Yuri. "And we are not going to be making out in the hallways, if that's what you're thinking!"

"Hey, I never said you were!" Yuri replied innocently, putting his hands out in front of his chest. Mist huffed and went through the door, Flynn waiting for her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

The flight to the town didn't take very long. Mist glanced over at New Aspio. The mages had inhabited Tarquaron after it fell back down into the mountains, using it to perform more methods of replacing the lost blastia. So far, they have succeeded in replacing bohdi blastia. People could make pacts with the lesser spirits and the spirits would inhabit the blastia bodies. Unfortunately, replacing barrier blastia was going to prove more difficult. The only spirits with that kind of power were the elemental spirits, and they needed to keep the aer in balance. The Hunting Blades's profits have skyrocketed from cities hiring protection from monsters. They were now one of the five master guilds, replacing the Blood Alliance.

At last, unfamiliar land stretched out before them. Mist leaned over the side, getting a closer look. Mountains had come with it, circling the town. A giant church was in the back of the town. Simply houses were lined up in rows, with a few markets.

"Looks more like a village than a town," Mist commented, standing up straight.

"You're right," Flynn replied, walking over to stand next to her. "However, it looks well protected by the mountains and cliffs, so monsters won't be able to attack it easily."

"Ba'ul will find us a spot to land," Judith called over to them.

"Out of curiosity, where's everyone else?" Mist asked.

"Karol and Raven are taking care of guild work and the new recruits right now," Judith replied. "Estele's in Halure, reading fairy tales to the kids. And you know what Rita's doing."

"Research," Flynn laughed. "That seems to be all that she's doing nowadays."

"Out of curiosity, is Raven a member of Brave Vesperia? Or still part of Altosk?" Mist asked. "He seems to be helping Brave Vesperia out an awful lot for someone belonging to another guild."

"He's still a member of Altosk," Yuri replied. "Still just me, Judy, Karol, and Repede. Plus a few new recruits."

"Rita hasn't joined?"

"Nope. Still being stubborn," Judith replied. She made her voice more high-pitched to match Rita's. "I wan't no part of your stupid little comedy act!" Ba'ul howled and Judith looked up. She spoke again, her voice back to normal. "Ba'ul's found a place to land."

"Good," Flynn said. He glanced over at Yuri. "Remember. No picking fights with people again. Got it?"

"I got it, Mom," Yuri sighed. "Your nagging is starting to annoy me." Flynn muttered something under his breath, shaking his head.

Ba'ul landed the Fiertia at the entrance to the village. Running toward the group once they got off were the last people they expected to see.

"The hell... Shu?!" Mist exclaimed, jaw dropping. Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Marumaro, Bouquet, and a silver-haired boy they didn't recognize stood in front of them.

"Judith!" Marumaro shouted, leaping at the Krityan. Judith smiled before her face hardened, pulling her arm back and thrusting it forward, sinking her fist deep into the Devee's face.

"Hello, Marumaro," Judith said coldly, brushing her hands against each other.

"Never expected to see you guys again," Yuri commented. "What happened?"

"Well, you see..." Kluke started.

\- - - A few hours ago - - -

"So this is Talta Village, huh?" Andropov asked, glancing at Kluke.

"That's right. The place Shu and I grew up in," Kluke replied. An old man with a long gray beard and moustache and long spiky gray hair pulled back into a ponytail. He wore a red bandana on his head and had a light blue shirt with an orange sash around his waist and blue shorts.

"Hey, gramps!" Shu greeted, waving a hand. The man, Fushira[1], stopped in front of Shu, putting his hands on his hips.

"About time you came to visit, Shu," Fushira said. "I was beginning to worry you weren't gonna come back."

"Come on, gramps!" Shu exclaimed. "You know that I wouldn't forget to visit you. I've just been a little busy lately is all."

"And I see you brought your friends, too," Fushira commented. He looked over at Jiro. "Isn't that the kid who always had the sour attitude?"

"Yeah, that's Jiro alright," Shu replied with a nervous smile, noticing Jiro's eyebrow twitch when Fushira said that. Bouquet stepped forward.

"You remember me, right?" Bouquet asked. Fushira nodded, remembering when Shu had brought her to Talta Village after they defeated the Darkness.

"How could I forget Shu's cute little girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend..." Shu grumbled.

"Oh yeah, that's right. She's your fianceé!" Fushira laughed.

"Grandpa!" Shu shouted indignantly.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Fushira replied, still chuckling.

"Hey, grandpa. Have you heard that two towns had vanished?" Shu asked. Fushira grew serious.

"Yes I have. From what I've heard, they were swallowed in a black void."

"Well, the portals are still there," Shu said. "They look like Dimensional Breaks,"

"They're starting to go out of control," Kluke added. "More areas have been affected and they seem to be sucking in pieces of the planet itself."

"We want to know if any- -" Shu was cut off abruptly when screams sounded. A Dimensional Break had formed in the center of the village and was rapidly expanding. The next thing they knew, the entire village was enveloped in darkness.

\- - - Present time - - -

"...And that's how we got here," Kluke finished.

"What places have already been sent here?" Flynn asked.

"Korin and Nirvana," Shu replied. "Two major cities in our world. Korin is home to the informants, and Nirvana is where the White Guardians and former members of the Jibral Royal Army are stationed."

"And now Talta Village is here," Kluke said. Then her eyes widened. "Hey! I wonder if Conrad, Danel, and Griz are here as well!"

"Come to think of it, the last time we saw them they said they were going to be staying in Nirvana," Bouquet said.

"What I'm concerned about is how much of your world is going to be transported here," Mist murmured, putting her hand to her chin. "Say the planet itself is dumped here."

"Then we're going to have a big problem," Flynn replied. "Terca Lumires is ruled by the Union and the Empire. If another ruling faction comes here, disputes may break out about who rules what."

"Too late," Jiro said. "Jibral used to be a ruling party, but it was destroyed by Nene three years ago. They've joined up with the White Guardians, increasing their influence on the world. And Rosekstan's another problem, though it seems they haven't been sent here yet. However it's only a matter of time before they become your problem as well."

"What do you mean 'our problem'? How is this Rosekstan trouble?" Yuri asked.

"They're bent on world domination," Shu replied. "They think they can create order in the world. Even if the methods aren't the same, they have the same goal that Nene did."

"So in other words, the leader is like another Alexei we have to deal with," Yuri grumbled. "Dammit, this is not funny."

"No kidding. We already have the guild to deal with," Mist agreed.

"I thought you and the guilds made up, maro," Marumaro said, cocking his head to the side.

"Ever since the mages of New Aspio discovered how to replace bohdi blastia, the arguments started up again," Flynn explained. "The guild say that because New Aspio is run by the Empire, we'll have a larger stock of blastia and find have the newest replacements before them. Before the Adephagos, blastia distribution was controlled by both factions, thanks to Ruins Gate digging up blastia from ruins. But since all the cores had been turned to spirits, Ruins Gate isn't needed anymore. And that's stirred up tentions once again."

"And that's not all the news," Yuri said, a grin spreading across his face as he glanced over at Flynn and Mist. They blinked at him in confusion and Yuri looked back at the Shadow Wielders. "Guess who recently got married."

"You and Estelle, maro?" Marumaro asked. Yuri narrowed his eyes.

"No, you idiot," he growled.

"No way!" Bouquet exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you, Flynn and Mist!"

"So when are you planning to have kids?" Shu asked. Mist landed a roundhouse to the side of his head.

"None of your damned business, you creep!" Mist screamed.

"Okay, I can't hold it in anymore. How do you know these guys?!" Andropov exclaimed.

"Remember what I told you, Andropov?" Kluke asked. "We were sent here a year ago by a Dimensional Break." Andropov jumped when Ba'ul howled. Judith looked up at the giant Entelexeia, her eyes narrowing.

"I got it," she said. She turned to the others. "Ba'ul felt another disturbance in the aer. Another piece of your world was sent here. It's located north of Dahngrest."

"So Karol and the old man would have noticed," Yuri said.

"Maybe we should go see Sui," Kluke suggested. "She may have an idea about why the Dimensional Breaks are going out of control in our world."

"You're right," Shu agreed.

"But do you even know where Korin is located now on Terca Lumires?" Mist asked, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms. Shu sweatdropped and Jiro sighed.

"We know the locations of the two cities sent here," Flynn said. "We can go there, starting with the closest, which is located on the western shore of Zaphias. The second is just north of Mount Temza in Desier."

"So we're off to Zaphias then," Yuri said. "Let's get onboard, then."

Everyone boarded the Fiertia, with Andropov being hesitant at first. Ba'ul lifted off with a howl and started flying southwest, headed for Zaphias. Once the capital came into view, the Shadow Wielders came over to the side of the ship to look at it.

"Where's the barrier?" Shu asked. "Didn't you replace the blastia?"

"The mages haven't discovered how to replace barrier blastia yet. We would need power equaling an elemental spirit," Mist replied.

"My head's hurting. I have no idea what you guys are talking about!" Andropov exclaimed, clutching his head. "Blastia? Aer? Spirits? Someone explain to me what's going on!"

"Follow me into the ship's cabin, then," Kluke sighed. "I'll explain everything there." The two vanished inside the cabin and Flynn looked past the ship.

"We're here," he announced.

"That's Nirvana!" Shu exclaimed.

"Great. A ruling faction right next to the capital of the Empire," Mist grumbled.

"We could visit the White Guardians," Bouquet suggested. "And we may see Conrad there, too."

"Good idea," Shu agreed.

"Ba'ul!" Judith called up at the whale-like dragon. Ba'ul howled a reply and descended toward the castle in the city. As the Fiertia landed, soldiers flocked outside, readying their swords and guns.

"Looks like they're ready to attack us," Mist commented, glancing lazily at the crowd.

"Some of the Jibral soldiers are there, too!" Bouquet exclaimed. Soldiers mixed in still wore the uniform for the Jibral Royal Army.

"Look! It's Conrad!" Shu exclaimed.

"He must be the new commander for the White Guardians," Jiro said.

"Hey! Conrad! Don't worry! It's us!" Shu shouted. The soldiers looked up in suprise and lowered their weapons as the group got off the ship. Mist glanced around nervously.

"I dunno about this, Flynn," she whispered. "The air is full of tension. It feels like fighting will break out at the drop of a hat."

"I think you may be a little overcautious. It seems the army knows Shu and the others really well," Flynn replied.

"They don't know us very well, though," Yuri pointed out. His grip on Second Star tightened. The army parted to let a blonde haired man wearing a red uniform and a large sword on his back approach the group. Flynn narrowed his eyes and Mist's hand moved for the handle of Last Fencer. A couple soldiers saw this and held up their weapons.

"It's been awhile, Conrad," Shu said, ignoring everyone else.

"I didn't expect to see you here as well, Shu," Conrad replied. His blue eyes shifted to the people from Terca Lumires. "Who are all of you?"

"Same thing I wanted to ask you," Mist muttered.

"Hey! Watch your mouth in front of the Knight Master!" a soldier shouted.

"Oh put a sock in it!" Mist retorted. "I'll say whatever I please!"

"Why you!" the soldier growled, swinging his sword. Mist quickly pulled hers out and parried.

"Dragon Claw!" she shouted, breaking the parry and taking the soldier down with the burst of red energy. All the soldiers around her prepared to strike, but Conrad stopped them.

"Enough! All of you fall back this instant!" he ordered. The soldiers hesitated then obeyed. Conrad turned to the group. "Let's discuss this inside."

"Yes. It'll take the stress off if we're not surrounded," Flynn agreed. Mist huffed and sheathed her sword, following everyone else into the castle.

"So would you introduce yourselves to me?" Conrad asked after they entered a rom and sat at the large table there.

"My name is Flynn Scifo, Commandant of the Imperial Knights of Zaphias," Flynn replied. He gestured to Mist. "This is my second-in-command, Mist."

"You forgot to mention she's your wife as well," Yuri, who sat next to Mist, chuckled. Mist stomped down hard on his foot, getting a pained expression from Yuri.

"Will you shut the hell up?!" she exclaimed.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" Yuri shouted. Mist removed her foot and Yuri rubbed it. "Your foot feels like a damn boulder! You're starting to remind me more and more of Rita, you know?" He turned back to Conrad. "Name's Yuri Lowell, by the way.

"And I'm Judith," Judith finished.

"I'm also curious about the dragon outside," Conrad said.

"He's my friend, Ba'ul," Judith replied. "He's an Entelexeia."

"En-tell-uh-what?" Conrad asked.

"Not En-tell-uh-what," Judith giggled. "En-tell-uh-kay-uh." She said each syllable seperately, as if talking to a little kid. Yuri chuckled at that and Mist kicked him on the back of his leg, making the violet haired man jump.

"Show a little respect," she hissed.

"I don't think you could emphasize that any more," Yuri grumbled. Mist let out a "tsk!" and turned back to Conrad.

"So you're a Knight as well, then," Flynn said.

"Not just any Knight. He's a Knight Master," Shu corrected.

"You can see he has a lot of respect for Corad," Mist whispered to Flynn.

"Are you a Knight Master as well?" Conrad asked.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that question," Flynn replied. "Although I am the highest ranking Knight in the Imperial Knights. Mist, being my second-in-command, is the second highest ranking Knight."

"So where's Griz and Danel?" Shu asked.

"They're investigating the world we have been sent to," Conrad replied.

"Who are they?" Mist asked.

"Griz is a Knight Master like me and Danel is an informant," Conrad said.

"So there can be more than one Knight Master?" Flynn asked.

"Correct," Conrad replied. "There is a Knight Master for each nation in our world. I was the Knight Master for Jibral. Perhaps we could work with you Imperial Knights."

"That's a good idea," Flynn agreed.

"We can talk more later. For now, I need to see Sui in Korin," Conrad said, standing up.

"Hey, we were going to be going to Korin too!" Shu exclaimed. "You should come with us!"

"Thank you," Conrad replied.

"Let's go then. Ba'ul is waiting for us," Judith said.

"Sure you can leave just like this?" Flynn asked.

"Don't worry about it," Conrad replied. "We should head out now."

"So it's off to Desier, then," Yuri said. "Let's move."

\--------------------------  
[1] Fushira is from the three Blue Dragon games. Even though he's never seen in the anime version, it's hinted that he exists in it. At the end of episode 2 of season 1 where Shu, Jiro, and Zola are about to leave and are stopped by Kluke and the three boys, Shu tells Kluke to "take care of gramps" before Kluke declares she's coming along.


	2. Korin

The flight to Desier felt like it was taking forever. Flynn and Mist yakking away with Conrad was giving Yuri a headache. He needed to resist the urge to chuck a rock or something at them to get them to finally shut up.

"So what made you want to become a Knight Master?" Mist was asking Conrad.

"My father was one and I thought it just ran in the family," Conrad replied.

"Flynn's father was in the Knights as well!" Mist exclaimed.

"So is that why you joined the Knights?" Conrad asked.

"No. Yuri and I joined together to try changing the Empire," Flynn replied. "The laws were treating the people of the lower quarter unfairly. Yuri and I grew up in the lower quarter, so we know firsthand just how bad it was."

Conrad turned to Mist. "And you?"

"The pay seemed nice," Mist replied. "And I didn't really have anything else to do. When I joined, I was placed in the Jurgis Brigade, where I first met Flynn. I was picked on a lot since I didn't have a very impressive background. I was orphaned at a young age and I don't remember my parents. I traveled around a lot and eventually wound up in Zaphias. They must've thought I had no skills whatsoever because of that. The twins Chastel and Hisca were nice at least. But I guess it was because we were the only girls in the brigade."

Yuri blinked a few times. He'd never heard Mist's story before since she never talked about it. He thought she was a noble because of her skills with a sword and blastia. Traveling all over must've toughened her up.

"Remember our first mission together?" Flynn asked, turning to Mist.

"How could I forget?" Mist replied.

\- - - Flashback - - -

"For this job you all will partner up and fan out to take care of the monster pack here in the Quoi Woods," Jurgis said. "They've scattered throughout the forest, probably waiting in ambush. The leader is a Chimera Butterfly, a Giganto Monster. If you encounter it, slay it immediately. The other monsters in the pack should become disoriented when that happens, making them easier to wipe out. If we're lucky, this job'll be done in three days. You all should have remembered to pack camping sets and medical supplies in case of an emergency. All of you be on your guard on this mission. Even if these aren't like the monsters in Shizontonia, they're still dangerous. I want no one dying on my watch. Watch each others backs. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Everyone shouted.

"Good. Now partner up and spread out!" Jurgis ordered. Mist turned to Chastel, the bustier of the twins. However, she'd already partnered with her sister Hisca. The two saw her and mouthed "Sorry!"

Looking around, she saw that just about everyone else had paired up and headed out. She was about to go head out on her own when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw a man with spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She recognized him from her first day, but couldn't remember his name.

"You're Mist, correct?" he asked. Mist nodded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name," she said.

"Oh, it's Flynn Scifo," he replied. He looked around. "Looks like we have to partner together. Mist realized then that everyone else had already left. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Mist narrowed her eyes. "I don't need protecting. Just leave me alone!"

Flynn's eyes widened and he took a few steps back. "Woah! No need to get angry. I was just trying to be nice."

Mist brushed a strand of silver hair out of her eyes. "Yeah right. Why the hell should I believe you? I'm not helpless, you know! I can take care of myself just fine! I don't care if you're senior to me, I won't allow you to treat me like dead weight!" Her gaze switched to the ground. "I'm fed up with everyone treating me like I'm useless..."

Flynn placed a hand on her shoulder and Mist brushed it away, golden eyes flaring. Flynn sighed. "I know some of the others have given you a hard time, but that doesn't mean you should be giving everyone the cold shoulder."

This just made Mist angrier. "Enough treating me like I'm a little kid!" she shouted. She landed a kick to Flynn's stomach, making the man stumble back as she turned and ran off into the forest.

'He doesn't know a thing about me!' Mist thought, gritting her teeth in anger. 'He's just like everyone else!' 

A wolf leaped at her and she lashed out with her sword, ripping its belly open and blood spashing all over the undergrowth. Mist panted, feeling satisfaction in the blood dripping from her sword.

An Axe Beak was the next to come at her, striking down with the axe-shaped beak. Mist held her sword up to block them pushed the monster away. While it was staggered, she charged at it.

"Sonic Thrust!" she shouted, running the monster through with astonishing speed. One thing she wasn't prepared for was the Eggbear swinging its paw at her from behind. Something shoved her into some ferns and then there was the sound of something hitting a tree. Mist looked over to see Flynn on the ground at the base of one of the trees, claw marks scored across his back and right arm.

'He...he saved me!' Mist thought, astonished. 'But why...?'

Flynn's sides heaved as he fought for breath, struggling to get back to his feet. The Eggbear had turned its attention to him. Flynn was finally standing again, using the tree for support, but the monster was already in front of him and shot one paw forward, pinning Flynn against the tree while the claws slowly dug into his chest. Blood dripped from his mouth as the blondeglared at the monster, trying to get free. The Eggbear roared in his face, its breath stinking of blood and carrion.

"Aqua Laser!"

The claws piercing Flynn's chest left abruptly as a jet of water sent the Eggbear flying. Flynn dropped into a sitting position and switched his gaze to Mist, who had a blue magic circle under her.

Mist shot forward as the Eggbear got up, bringing her sword down. "Rising Dragon!" She pulled her sword upward, taking the bear into the air and she leaped up, slashing her sword multiple times before bringing it down, knocking the dead monster to the ground. She landed and turned to Flynn.

"That's the proper way to take care of a monster." She walked over to him and bent down. "Why'd you do that?"

"We're partners," Flynn choked out, blood spilling out of his mouth again. Mist sighed, pulling her bag off and opening it up, taking the medical supplies out.

"...Idiot," she muttered. "Take your armor and tunic off so we can get this over with."

Flynn did as he was told, though with difficulty thanks to his wounds. Once he got it off, he glanced up at Mist. "Did your face get sunburnt?" Her face was bright red and she made a small noise in the back of her throat. She began sweating heavily and her eyes were wide as she stared at him. "Mist?"

"I...I...I..." she stuttered. Seeing him shirtless made her reach her breaking point. She blinked a few times, snapping out of her trance and shook her head. She quickly began disinfecting the wounds, her face getting redder as her hands were brushing over his muscles. A few more noises sounded in her throat and she began wrapping the bandages around him, relaxing a tiny bit, but the image of the muscular body hidden under the armor and tunic was etched into her mind. She was bad when it came to boys, but this was ridiculous! She hardly knew him and she was already falling for him!

Once she was done, she slapped herself a few times to snap her out of her trance, earning a confused stare from Flynn. She pulled out the camping set in a hurry. "Better set up camp!" She laughed nervously.

"Are...you okay?" Flynn asked.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Mist replied quickly, breaking out into another sweat as she set up the basic barrier. She finished setting up the tent and turned to Flynn. "It's about time to sleep." Her gaze shifted downward. "And...thanks for helping."

"You were pretty skilled," Flynn said, making his way into the tent. Mist followed him in and sat next to him."I didn't expect to see you fight so well."

"That's what everyone thinks of me," Mist murmured. Flynn stared at her as she continued. "I'm not nobility and I'm not from Zaphias. I don't even remember who my parents were! Because of this, everyone assumes I'm just some weak, pathetic little girl."

"Not everyone," Flynn said. Mist stared at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I never judged you by your appearance or background. I'm from Zaphias's lower quarter, so I know what you mean by people judging you by that. I've also noticed you don't really have any friends in the brigade besides Chastel and Hisca. If you want, we could become friends."

"Thanks, Flynn," Mist murmured.

\- - - End Flashback - - -

"I never told you this, Flynn, but that was when I first began to love you," Mist said.

"Same here," Flynn replied, both leaning in for a kiss.

"Could you take your public displays of affection elsewhere so the rest of us don't have to suffer?" Jiro called out. The two kept kissing, except for the fact that Mist released one arm that was wrapped around Flynn to give Jiro the middle finger. Shu broke out laughing as Jiro's eyes widened.

"I kinda agree with Jiro," Yuri said to Judith. "It's starting to get old watching them do that at the most awkward times."

"Really? I think it's adorable," Judith replied. "Just look at how much they love each other!"

"What I'm worried about are kids," Yuri said with a shudder. "I would never get used to being called Uncle Yuri. It just sounds wrong."

"I agree with you there," Judith giggled. "But don't you think Aunt Judith sounds cute. Or does Aunt Judy sound better? Or maybe Auntie Judy?"

"They all sound wrong..." Yuri sighed. "What goes on in that head or yours, I'll never know."

"I don't think you want to know either," Judith said, smiling.

"We've reached our destination!" Tokunaga shouted. Everyone prepared to get off as Ba'ul landed in Korin. They got off and started walking into the city, people milling around them.

"Where will we find this Sui?" Mist asked.

"In her mansion, most likely," Shu replied. "Or disguised as one of the townspeople."

"Huh?" Yuri said.

"Hey! There she is!" Bouquet exclaimed. A woman wearing a yellow shirt and her hair in two buns came running up to them, panting when she reached them.

"Why aren't you waiting for us like you usually do, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"Because the information I have is too important to wait for," Sui replied.

\-------------------------------------------------------------  
"What's this information you have?" Conrad asked.

"It's about the reason for our world being sucked into this one," Sui replied. "Our two worlds at one point were actually a single one. After the Darkness was sealed, it formed a gigantic Dimensional Break, sucking half the world into it. Both planets reformed, existing side-by-side yet unaware of the other's presence up until now. Now it's trying to recombine once again.

"But why?" Mist asked.

"I don't know. Something triggered the Dimensional Breaks to appear. And according to what I've read, this is the second time in history it tried to form again. The first was over a thousand years ago."

"Something in Terca Lumires must've triggered it, then," Flynn said.

"Hold on," Mist said. "The Empire was formed over a thousand years ago by the Children of the Full Moon after they sealed away the Adephagos. The aer imbalance must be causing this!"

"In other words, the formation of the Adephagos," Yuri summarized. Ba'ul's howl was heard and Judith's eyes widened.

"Two more towns have appeared!" she exclaimed. Ba'ul howled again. "No, make that three!" The Entelexeia howled once more. "No, six!"

"Just as I thought. The recombination is speeding up," Sui said.

"Where are they located?" Flynn asked Judith.

"West of Zaude, east of the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, next to Nam Cobanda Isle, below Capua Nor, south of Hypionia, and north of Weccea."

"How long until they're completely recombined?" Kluke asked.

"My estimate is a week," Sui replied. "I'm worried about conflict breaking out, though."

"Us too," Shu said. "If another war happens, it'll be bad news for all of us."

"Maybe we could have all the leaders of both worlds gather together to talk about what's going to happen from here on," Flynn suggested.

"You're right. That's an excellent idea," Conrad agreed.

"I wonder if one of the towns that were just transported her was Lago Village, maro," Marumaro said.

"Lago Village?" Mist asked.

"My hometown, maro," Marumaro replied.

"Don't worry, Marumaro. I'm sure everyone there is safe," Bouquet assured the Devee.

"There is one problem, though," Jiro said. Everyone stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Kluke asked.

"Rosekstan," Jiro replied. "I highly doubt Logi would come to the meeting."

"General Logi isn't like that!" Andropov protested.

"Andropov..." Kluke murmured.

"Why are you still supporting him?" Jiro demanded.

"Jiro, that's enough," Kluke said, narrowing her eyes at him. Jiro's widened and he looked away. Kluke glanced at Andropov. "Please calm down."

"Yes. The last thing we need is fighting amongst ourselves if we want to prevent the world from fighting," Flynn said.

"Before we do any of that, I want to see if Lago Village is here, maro!" Marumaro exclaimed.

"Why are you so intent on going to your village?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah, I've never heard you so insistent about it," Shu added.

"I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore, maro," Marumaro said.

"Hiding what?" Bouquet asked.

"It's two of my six siblings, maro," Marumaro replied. "Marumira and Marutora, maro."

"Isn't Marumira one of your three sisters and Marutora one of your three brothers?" Shu asked.

"What about them?" Jiro asked.

"They're..."

"They're what?" Bouquet asked.

"They're..."

"Just say it, Marumaro!" Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Bouquet, and Andropov all said. The others remained silent.

"They're Shadow Wielders, maro!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I'm adding a bit of Blue Dragon Plus once again. This time it's with Marumira and Marutora having magic.


	3. The Great One

"Marumira and Marutora are Shadow Wielders?!" Shu exclaimed. "How in the world is that possible?!"

"We need to see if Lago Village is here after all, then," Kluke said.

"I'll stay here and talk to Sui," Conrad said. "You all do what you need to."

"We'll need to search Terca Lumires entirely," Judith murmured. "The pieces are scattered all over."

"Think Ba'ul will be able to handle all that flying?" Yuri asked.

"He should be fine," Judith replied. "He's stronger than he looks, you know."

"We'd better be careful if we do encounter the two," Jiro pointed out. "They probably won't have control over their Shadows and may unintentionally attack us."

"Let's head out then. We're wasting daylight just talking," Mist said, boarding the Fiertia. She was followed by the others. With a howl, Ba'ul took off, flying away from Korin.

\------------------------------------------------  
Night fell and still no luck finding Lago Village. They had two more towns to find and would continue the search tomorrow. Ba'ul set the ship down on the shoreline of Yurzorea, the Entelexeia settling down on the grass, falling asleep quickly.

As there were only two beds in the ship's cabin, most of the group had to sleep outside. Judith wandered the ship, giggling when she saw Flynn and Mist asleep together just outside the cabin. Mist had her hands resting on Flynn's chest while Flynn had his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. His chin was resting on the top of her head while Mist had her face buried in his chest. Judith smirked at the pranks she could pull on them.

"I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you," Yuri said as he walked up to Judith. "You know Mist'll kill you in a heartbeat." He looked over at the sleeping form of Ba'ul. "Guess we wore him out. Never seen him so exhausted."

"He'll be fine," Judith replied. "He enjoys doing everything he can to help out."

"Still hard to believe our world is merging with another," Yuri murmured. "I doubt things'll go smoothly with the people."

"I agree," Judith said. "Someone like Alexei could appear to instigate a war between our two worlds."

"Exactly," Yuri agreed. "Another Great War could begin."

"If that happens, the Entelexeia may decide to get involved as well," Judith said grimly. "Even if this may not be a battle over blastia, it could still endanger the world. Which is why we must prevent that from happening at all costs."

"Maybe we could have Peacemaker over there talk to everyone," Yuri said, glancing at Flynn. "Once we're done looking for Marumaro's village, we should go pick up the others to discuss our game plan."

"Right," Judith replied. She yawned, stretching her arms. "Well, I'm turning in. What about you?"

"I think I'll do the same," Yuri said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."  
\--------------------------------------------

"There's Lago Village, maro!" Marumaro shouted, pointing over the side of the Fiertia. They were flying over Dahngrest when Marumaro noticed it.

"Finally!" Shu sighed. Ba'ul landed at the entrance, everyone getting off. As soon as they did, they were approached by two Devee, a male and female.

"Where have you been Marumaro?!" the female demanded, storming up to Marumaro.

"I just visited Shu and Kluke's village, Mom," Marumaro replied.

"Marutora and Marumira have been wanting you to help them with their Shadows, Marumaro," his dad said.

"That's actually why we came here," Kluke said, walking over. Marumaro's mom looked over her shoulder.

"Kids! Your big brother's here!" she hollered. Six Devee children playing together suddenly looked up and dashed over as soon as they saw Marumaro.

"Where have you been, mini?" one girl asked.

"I told you, Marumini, I went with the others, maro," Marumaro replied.

"You promised you'd show us how to use our Shadows, tora!" a boy exclaimed.

"That's right, mira!" another girl added.

"Marutora, Marumira calm down, maro!" Marumaro said, backing up.

"It's not fair you get to have Shadows, but not the rest of us, fini," another pouted.

"Marufini's fight, poni," the fifth agreed. "Right, Marupino?"

"Right, Maruponi!" Marupino replied angrily. Marumira and Marutora stuck their tongues at the two.

"Ugh, they're giving me a headache!" Mist exclaimed, grabbing her head. "Any of you kids who aren't Shadow Wielders, get the hell out of here this instant!"

There were a few startled gasps from the six little Devee but they obeyed, leaving Marumira and Marutora with the group.

"We can summon our Shadows on our own, tora!" Marutora proclaimed proudly.

"For real?" Bouquet asked.

"Kraken's really nice to me, tora," Marutora explained.

"So's Cerberus, mira!" Marumira added.

"Well, let's see them, then," Jiro said. The brother and sister were surrounded in a blue aura, a red octopus-like Shadow with a black shell coming from Marutora and Marumira produced a dark brown Cerberus holding a large bone in one hand and three leashes connected to each collar in the other.

"We just need help with using their power, mira," Marumira said.

"You aren't seriously expecting to be going in battle, are you?" Andropov scoffed.

"You just need to practice with your Shadows," Shu explained. "You'll learn eventually."

"But we want to learn right now, tora!" Marutora protested.

"We don't have time for this," Yuri grumbled. "Sorry, but we need to go now."

"Can we go too, mira?" Marumira asked.

"It would be good training," Cerberus pointed out.

"Sorry, but our group is gonna get bigger and I really don't wanna deal with a ton of people," Yuri replied. "And you two would be a burden to us since you can't fight."

"What if we did, tora?" Marutora asked.

"Then maybe you could come along. But we need to leave right away," Yuri said, turning to the Fiertia.

"I've got an idea," Kluke said. "Marumaro could stay behind to train them. When he's done, they could join up with us."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Mist agreed.

"Got it, maro! I'll see you guys later, maro!" Marumaro said.

"Let's go to Dahngrest, then," Yuri said.  
\-----------------------------------------

"I wonder if it was a good idea to leave Marumaro behind," Kluke said.

"If you ask me, it was the greatest idea ever," Mist replied. "Now we have one less pervert to worry about. Unfortunately, we're about to pick up another."

"Get ready," Yuri called out. "We've reached Dahngrest." Ba'ul landed the Fiertia and everyone got off, crossing the bridge into Dahngrest. Almost at once, glares from guildmen were shot at them. A couple came over. Their clothing suggested they were from the Blood Alliance.

"Well well," one said. "You Knights have a lot of nerve showing your faces in these parts." Flynn and Mist narrowed their eyes. Yuri walked up to the two men.

"Pick a fight with them and you pick a fight with me. Are we clear?" Yuri growled.

"And why the hell should we listen to a thing you say?" the other retorted.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way then," Yuri replied, drawing Second Star out. The two guildmen hestiated, then turned around and walked away.

"Tsk! Fine, we'll let you go this time. But next time'll be different. You can be sure of that!" one called out as Yuri put his sword back.

"I've never seen guildmen this hostile, even with the running tensions," Mist said.

"The Blood Alliance has been crankier than usual ever since they were kicked from the five master guilds. Everyone is having to put up with them," Yuri explained. "They're starting to become a real pain in the ass."

"I can see that," Bouquet murmured.

"Judy and I will head for the Union headquarters," Yuri said. "You guys just hang back. There may be others trying to pick a fight with the Empire." He and Judy set off for the north part of town while the others hung back on the bridge.

A few minutes passed and they heard footsteps coming their way. "Never expected to see you guys so soon."

"Conrad?!" Shu exclaimed.

"Didn't we just part ways yesterday?" Mist asked.

"Well, I wanted to get some information on Terca Lumires and heard a group of people who research the world were here," Conrad explained.

"Oh, the Surveyor's Guild," Flynn said. "They collect information gathered on the world. You can get just about any kind of information from them."

"So they're like informants in a sense?" Kluke asked.

"Correct," Mist replied. Conrad headed over to a man flipping through a book. The two talked for a bit and Conrad headed back over. Judging from the man's scowl, it didn't go too well.

"They seem to think I'm with the Imperial Knights," Conrad explained.

"Maybe you should talk with the mages at New Aspio," Mist suggested. She turned her head. "Look who's back." Coming toward them were Yuri and Judith, accompanied by Karol and Raven.

"If it ain't the cute couple!" Raven exclaimed, flashing a grin at Flynn and Mist. Mist walked over to him and leaned her mouth to his ear.

"Shut up, or I'll kill you," she hissed. A shiver ran up Raven's spine as Mist turned without another word and walked back to stand next to Flynn.

"Yuri and Judith explained what was happening," Karol said. "I just can't believe our world is joining with another."

"Rita and Lady Estellise need to hear about this as well," Flynn said. "We should head for New Aspio first."

"Could I accompany you as well?" Conrad asked. "I wish to ask the mages a few things."

"Of course you can!" Karol replied.

"Hooray..." Yuri mumbled without much enthusiasm.  
\------------------------------------------------

Upon crossing over Ehmead Hill, the weather suddenly turned violent. Lighning lit up the sky and rain battered the ship as Ba'ul struggled to fly through the strong winds.

"The weather sure changed in a hurry," Mist gritted out, shielding her face with her arms against the onslaught of rain. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Undine must be pissed off or something," Yuri replied.

"Now's not the time for jokes, Yuri!" Karol shouted over the thunder. The boom shook the ship so violently that everyone almost fell over.

"Son of a- - Woah!" Mist fell back as a flash of lightning directly in front of the ship startled her, causing her to fall back. Flynn caught her in time, his head turned away from the rain.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to be flying in this weather!" he shouted, his voice almost drowned out by the wind.

"Gee, wonder how long it took ya ta figure that out!" Raven called out.

"We need to find someplace to land, and fast!" Yuri exclaimed.

"I can't see a thing with all this rain, and neither can Ba'ul!" Judith replied, looking over the side of the ship, shielding her eyes. "There's a chance we could land the ship right on top of the mountains!"

"Hey, what's that?!" Shu exclaimed, pointing past the ship. A dark shape was circling the sky.

"Is that a dragon?" Bouquet asked.

"It could be an Entelexeia," Yuri replied.

"Ba'ul?" Judith asked. Ba'ul howled a reply. "Ba'ul doesn't recognize it, but it seems to be an Entelexeia. But something's off about it."

"Nymuer ve jaka. Yth di wer jennu Entelexeia tepoha lleisgartor de hesi vdri," a voice boomed.

"It's talking!" Kluke exclaimed.

"Yeah, but what's it saying?" Flynn asked.

"'Hear me now. We of the great Entelexeia have risen from our sleep,'" Mist said. Everyone stared at her and the Entelexeia spoke again.

"Si mi Jennuir, wer zezhuarnth sissth di wer treskri ghoros Alrodoh."

"'I am Jennuir, the ancient ruler of the world before Alrodoh'. Jennuir means 'Great One'," Mist explained after translating.

"Wer treskri ui thirkuir vir yth Entelexeia geou nakta gavir."

"'The world is changing and we Entelexeia will keep order.'"

"Nomeno geou qe dout cotuir: Tikil svaust relekihl udoka nishka loreat."

"'This will be your warning: Any who challenge us shall die.'" Mist finished translating grimly. Jennuir roared and flew off, vanishing in the dark clouds. At that moment, the storm cleared up, sunlight piercing the clouds and lighting up the ground below. Ba'ul found a spot to land in front of New Aspio. Once everyone got off, Yuri spoke up.

"How the hell did you know what he was saying?!"

"He was speaking Draconian[1], an ancient language used by the civilization long before the Gerios. I studied it during my free time," Mist explained.

"What he said sounded like a threat," Conrad said.

"The Entelexeia have always kept balance in the world. Jennuir was probably trying to announce it to the people of the other world not to mess with them," Mist replied.

"I dunno," Raven said. "Ya said that he was speakin' a language used before the Gerios Civilization. Ya'd think he'd adapt ta our language by now."

"He spoke of waking up," Flynn said. "He may have been in hibernation like several other Entelexeia."

"But that was at the end of the Gerios Civilization," Judith pointed out. "The Draconian language was no longer used then."

"So you're saying another group of Entelexeia fell into slumber before those ones?" Kluke asked.

"It's possible," Judith replied.

"Well, he was certainly speaking loud enough for the entire world to be able to hear him," Yuri said. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

\-------------------------------------------------------  
New Aspio was even busier than Aspio had been. Mages were rushing back and forth, arms full of papers and books. The group was almost trampled in the rush.

"Aw hell. How are we gonna find Rita?" Yuri groaned. A mage dashed past him and Yuri grabbed him by the hood of his cloak.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the mage exclaimed, struggling to get free.

"Where's Mordio?" Yuri demanded.

"What do you want with that weirdo?!" the mage asked. "She's on the second story, in a hut to your left once you get to the top of the stairs."

"Thanks," Yuri replied, releasing the mage. The person straightened the hood out and dashed off.

"Don't you think you could be a little less rough when asking questions?" Flynn said.

"I doubt the guy would've stopped and listened unless I was positive I had his full attention," Yuri replied with a shrug. Flynn muttered something under his breath and they went up the glass-like stairs of the tower. Just like the mage had said, a hut was to their left.

"Well, let's go in and say hi," Yuri said, opening the door. At once, a fireball shot out at him and he sidestepped just in time to dodge it. "H-hey! It's me! It's me!"

Rita looked up in the middle of casting another firebal spell. "Oh, hi."

"Why the hell did you attack?!" Yuri demanded, storming into the hut, followed by everyone else.

"I thought you were another annoying mage coming in to bug me about the world unifying with another," Rita replied.

"That was still no reason to try killing me," Yuri grumbled. Conrad came over to the mage.

"My name is Conrad, a Knight Master of Nirvana." Conrad said. "I've come to ask about your world, Terca Lumires."

"Not much to talk about ever since we gave up the blastia a year ago," Rita replied. "Although, we are coming up with ways to replace them. Barrier blastia will be the most difficult, since we need a large amount of power. We're thinking of somehow using mana instead of spirits. But putting that aside, what was going on outside? My eardrums were almost blasted out."

"An Entelexeia by the name of Jennuir was talking," Mist replied. "He declared that he and the Entelexeia were the rulers of the world."

"That's pretty much what the Entelexeia have been saying for ages," Rita said. "Why announce it?"

"He seems to be one from a time before the Gerios Civilization," Judith explained. "Origin may be able to shed some light on this, since Jennuir mentioned Alrodoh."

"We should pick up Estelle and talk about this as a group," Yuri said.

"By the way, where's the perverted little cat?" Rita asked.

"He's in his village training a brother and sister to use their Shadows," Shu explained.

"That's good to hear. One's bad enough as it is," Rita replied, shooting a glare at Raven. Raven's eyes went wide and he backed up a few steps, unsure what the mage would do.

"We should head for Halure, then," Flynn said.  
\-------------------------------------------------

Halure's tree was in full bloom, petals falling gently to the ground around the group as they entered the City of Blossoms. Walking up the path to the giant tree, they saw a large group of children gathered around Estelle, who was reading a fairy tale to them. She closed the book and looked up, a smile breaking across her face.

"Everyone!" She exclaimed, dashing over to them, giving Yuri a giant hug, making Mist snicker. When she released Yuri, she fixed her worried eyes on everyone. "Do you know what that was a while ago?"

"An Entelexeia by the name of Jennuir," Judith replied. She explained everything about what was going on to the princess.

"So another group of Entelexeia have appeared," Estelle murmured when Judith finished. "I'll go with you."

"Glad to hear that," Yuri said with a smile. A scream made everyone turn.

"Monsters!" Going back down the path, they saw all the townspeople fleeing the monsters that were flooding the town.

"They must have become agitated by Jennuir's appearance," Rita said, casting Spiral Flare on a Rhinossus that charged at her.

"O seething fire, be as a holy beast to devour the wicked...Flame Dragon!" Mist shouted, completing her fire spell. A dragon of flames shot out, engulfing the monsters in its path in flames. Behind her, Flynn cast Holy Lance on a Treant.

"Strength dwell in this blade...Sharpness!" Estelle called out. Ahead of her, power engulfed Yuri's katana, making it more powerful. He shot out at a Gattusso Cub, easily slicing its head off.

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted. The energy beam obliterated several monsters.

"Poison Claw!" Bouquet shouted, having transformed into a Gattusso that attacked her with the same attack. She lashed out with poison coated claws, scoring the large monster's flank. She shot her sharp tail at it, another attack used against her, to blind it. Gattusso howled in pain, allowing Minotaur to finish it off with Conquer.

"Everyone stand back!" Rita shouted. Everyone nodded, moving behind her as a magic circle appeared. "I who stand in the full light of the heavens call upon thee who openith the gates of hell. Come forth, divine lightning!" Rings of light encircled the monsters, leading up to the darkening sky. Light shined through the middle of the rings to the ground. "This ends now!" Lightning struck all the monsters in the circle, Rita shouting "Indignation!" at the same time[2].

The blast shook the ground, dislodging boulders balanced on the top of the hill above them. They fell toward the ground, where a small girls stared fearfully upward.

"Shit!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn shot forward, but Conrad was closer. The Knight Master grabbed the girl, shielding her with his body. Just before the boulders landed, a blue light shone from Conrad and dust filled the area as the boulders landed.

"Conrad!" Shu shouted. The dust cleared and everyone's eyes widened. Conrad was still over the girl, unscathed. He looked up and stared. Looming over Conrad, shielding the two, was a white furred kirin with silver scales in certain areas on its body and a golden horn on the top of its head[3].

"Are you okay?" the kirin asked, his voice deep.

"Conrad...you..." Kluke gasped. Conrad got up, looking down and seeing the bottom of the kirin connected to him.

"A Shadow...?" Andropov murmured.

"My name is Kirin," the Shadow said. "You are the one who summoned me, correct?"

"I can't believe Conrad has a Shadow too," Kluke said. Conrad just continued to stare jaw-dropped at Kirin.

"Call upon me if you are in need of my assistance once again," Kirin said before vanishing in a blue light.

"I...I..." Conrad stammered. The little girl he shielded looked up at him.

"Thank you so much for saving me," she said.

"Y-you're welcome," Conrad replied, still shaken up. A woman ran over, embracing the girl.

"Oh, Alice! I'm so glad you're safe!" she exclaimed. She looked up at Conrad. "I can't thank you enough for saving my little girl." She stood up, holding Alice's hand, and walked back over to the other townspeople. The few monsters that survived fled the town. The mayor walked over to the group.

"Once again, you've saved Halure," he said. "I can't even begin to express my gratitude"

"Don't sweat it," Yuri replied. "We just happened to arrive to pick up Estelle."

"I...I need to go back to Nirvana..." Conrad said, one hand on his head. "I just need to comprehend what just happened."

"Well, come back when you're ready," Shu said.

"Yes, I'll see you all later," Conrad replied, heading out of Halure.  
\-----------------------------------------------

"So what do we do now?" Andropov asked. Everyone was on the Fiertia.

"We should find where Origin is," Judith replied. "He may know more about Jennuir."

"That's gonna be hard," Yuri commented. "The spirits tend to be invisible most of the time."

"Does Ba'ul know where he is?" Mist asked.

"I'm afraid not, but the other elemental spirits might," Judith replied.

"If only they were still with us," Karol said. "They went off on their own after the Adephagos was destroyed."

"Perhaps we should split up," Flynn suggested. "The Shadow Wielders could go in one group, Mist and I will go in the second, and the rest would be in the third."

"That's a good idea, but where should we even begin looking?" Jiro asked.

"Undine may be in the Blade Drifts of Zopheir, Efreet may be on Phaeroh's Crag, and Sylph could be in Relewise Hollow," Mist replied.

"What about Gnome?" Estelle asked.

"Don't you remember? He can't talk and only Sylph can translate what he says," Rita said.

"Mist and Flynn should go to the Blade Drifts of Zophier," Yuri said. "Since they'l have no way of getting to Relewise Hollow or Phaeroh's Crag. Efreet may be the toughest to deal with, so we'll go. And you Shadow Wielders could fly up to Relewise Hollow on your Shadows. It's on the continent of Weccea, a raised chain of canyons to the south of Zaphias. In the center, there should be a rock arch. Directly bellow is Relewise Hollow and at the bottom is a cave leading to the oldest spring in the world."

"And don't touch the water in there," Rita warned.

"Why not?" Bouquet asked.

"It's not actually water. It's highly dense aer. Touching it will kill you at its density," Rita explained. Bouquet gulped, sweat running down her face.

"Does everyone know what they need to do?" Yuri asked. Everyone nodded. "We'll meet up in Aurnion. If we don't find anything, we can plan out our next move. Now let's head out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I play Skyrim and there's a dragon language on it. I went online and found a draconic translator.
> 
> [2] I know the version of Tales of Vesperia I'm using isn't the PS3 one, but I couldn't resist putting Indignation in there. I can't wait for the English patch to finally come out.
> 
> [3] Yet another Blue Dragon Plus element I'm putting in here. People who've played the game would know that King Jibral is Conrad in the anime. So I gave him the Kirin Shadow.


	4. Searching for the Spirits

"Mist, I know we're headed for the Blade Drifts of Zopheir...but is it really necessary to pack all of that?" Flynn asked, pointing to what Mist had packed. The two had returned to Zaphias Castle to prepare for the trip to Zopheir. "What about your armor?"

"I'm leaving it behind. Last thing I want is to have freezing armor on me," Mist replied. "It'll be hard enough to keep warm as it is." She hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go then."

"What all do you even have in there?" Flynn asked as the two headed outside.

"A camping set, medical kit, food, and a few blankets," Mist replied. "Plus the coat I'm wearing. I just hope we find Undine quickly."

"If she's even there," Flynn pointed out. A boat on Zaphias's shore was waiting for the two Knights. The ship set off, heading north for the drifts.

"The sooner we get this done, the better," Mist said as they went past Nor and Torim Harbor. "I'll flip if Undine has no idea where Origin is."

"Just please try to stay calm," Flynn replied. The ship was forced to dock at the beginning of the ice floe chain. Flynn and Mist got off, heading for the center where the Blade Drifts would begin. Icy wind howled around them and the temperature seemed to drop with each passing second.

"D-damn it's c-c-cold..." Mist gritted out, her teeth chattering. She focused her gaze straight ahead. "W-we'd better be almost th-th-there." She glanced over at Flynn, who was wearing a cloak over his armor. He wasn't showing many signs of being cold. "I d-don't get how y-you're d-d-doing s-so well..."

"T-trust me, I'm just as c-cold as you are," Flynn replied. He paused, drawing his sword. "Get ready."

A Lupice was dashing at them, teeth bared and snarling. Mist quickly drew Last Fencer, she and Flynn leaping out of the way of the wolf. They finished it with a combination of Demon Fang and Dragon Claw.

"There's more!" Mist warned, noticing three more Lupices heading in their direction. She performed Hornet Sting on the first one that leaped at her and followed it up with Sonic Thrust to kill the second. Flynn finished the last one with Sword Rain: Alpha. Continuing on, they encountered several swords stuck in the ice.

"Looks like we've reached the Blade Drifts," Flynn said.

"About time, too," Mist replied.

"Just be careful," Flynn warned. "This is the area where most of the monsters are gathered."

"I know," Mist said. "Looks like there's a Predafish just up ahead. I wonder if there's a way around it." The shark monster was ambling around on two fins, looking around for prey. It didn't seem to notice Flynn and Mist as they snuck around it, keeping close to the ground.

Right when they thought they were in the clear, a Teethee sprung out of the icy waters, a fish clamped in its jaws. It took one look at the two Knights and let out a cry. The Predafish spun around, locking its beady eyes on the two. The Teethee dropped its prey and ambled over, brandishing its weapons. A Boost Merfish noticed the commotion and joined in, hooks raised for an attack. The three monsters surrounded the two Knights, ready to strike.

"What horrid luck!" Mist growled, throwing her bag off and her grip on Last Fencer tightening.

"Now's not the time for complaining," Flynn replied. He held his sword up to block one of the Boost Merfish's hooks. At the same time, Mist struck out at the Predafish, the monster using one of the anchors it held to parry. The Teethee lunged at her from behind. Mist broke the parry and blocked the attack, pushing the monster back.

'I won't have any time to cast spells with the way they're attacking' Mist thought with a scowl, using Dragon Fang to knock the Predafish into a gigantic snow drift. She spun around quickly to see the Teethee charging at her with its horn pointed at her. She blocked the attack of the narwhal-like monster and pushed back.

Flynn sidestepped to avoid the Boost Merfish's hooks as it brought them down. He took this chance to use Demon Fang to throw the monster off balance and finished it off with Sword Rain: Alpha. He went over to assist Mist, who was trying to hold off the Teethee. The Predafish dug itself out of the snow drift and launched itself at her, swinging the small anchor. Flynn slid in between the two, deflecting the attack with his sword and counterattacking with Sonic Thrust, knocking the monster into the water.

The Teethee began backing away, realizing it was the only monster left. Mist shot forward, raking her sword across its face, red splattering the ice. Before it could retaliate, Flynn plunged his sword into the monster.

"What a hassle..." Mist sighed. A splash sounded behind her and a sharp pain pierced her back. She stumbled forward, letting out a cry, and turning her head. The Predafish had leapt out of the water and swung the anchor at her. Mist fell to the ground, gritting her teeth.

"Demonic Chaos!" Flynn shouted, firing off two consecutive Demon Fangs. The attack stunned the monster long enough for Flynn to deliver the killing blow. He ran over to Mist, crouching down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Before Mist could reply, a nearby Limewreath let out a roar, scurrying away, followed by several other monsters.

"What's...going on?" Mist panted, lifting her head. Her eyes widened when she saw the reason. "Oh shit... A Baitojoh!"

"Can you stand?!" Flynn demanded. Mist hauled herself to her hands and knees before the intense pain in her back made her fall back down. The Baitojoh was coming closer, it's yellow horn flashing in anticipation.

"This is bad!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn moved in between her and the flying monster, sword at the ready.

"Mist, you need to get out of here somehow," Flynn said, not taking his eyes off Baitojoh. The monster opened its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

"And leave you to get killed?! Are you out of your damned mind?!" Mist exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I'll be fine. Just get outta here!" Flynn insisted, charging at the monster. Baitojoh spun around, whipping its sharp tail at the Knight and sending him into the same snow drift the Predafish had gone into. He pulled himself out, gripping his stomach where the tail left a bloody gash and blood dripped from his mouth. Mist struggled to stand, only to slip on the puddle of blood that had formed underneath her.

"Dammit...!" Mist spat as she fell facefirst back on the ice. Flynn jumped out of the way when Baitojoh shot out at him, jaws wide open. He struck down on the horn with his sword, making the Baitojoh roar in pain. The horn glowed, a large crack on it visable. The monster dove through the ice and resurfaced underneath Flynn, sending the blonde into the air. Baitojoh did a midair flip, its tail smacking into Flynn's back and launching him back down, the ice cracking from the impact. Blood flew from his mouth as he let out a cry of pain.

Mist managed to finally stay on her feet, though her legs shook, her sword primed to strike. When the Baitojoh came back down, Mist leaped up, swinging her sword at the monster's horn. The horn broke in half, Baitojoh thrashing about in agony. It calmed down after a few seconds and turned its attention on Mist. It shot out, jaws open and ready to clamp down. Before she could react, a flash of blue and blonde appeared in her vision accompanied by a splash of red.

Flynn had gone in between the two, plunging his sword into the Baitojoh's gaping mouth. At the same time, the monster clamped down on the Knight's arm. Baitojoh fell to the ice, blood running from its mouth and struggling a bit before slamming its tail down, the ice below shattering and dragging Flynn down with it into the icy waters.

"Flynn!" Mist screamed, diving in after him. Coldness greeted her like an electric shock, but she reached an unconscious Flynn. The dead Baitojoh's jaws had slackened and she was able to get his arm and sword out of the monster's mouth. Despite his weight and the freezing waters, she was able to haul him back onto the ice before pulling herself out. The wound on her back had gone numb, but she could still feel the blood running down it. However, she needed to treat Flynn right away.

She reached her stuff, pulling out the medical kit and a couple of blankets. She wrapped one over herself, shivering violently, and made her way back to Flynn. Like her, he was completely soaked but he wasn't shivering as hard. Dread began creeping into her and she quickly wrapped a blanket around him, hoping to get him warmed up. She carefully half carried, half dragged him over to the large snow drift, pain begining to creep into her back again. After a bit of digging, she made a hole large enough to shelter the both of them from the wind and carried Flynn into it.

She unwrapped the blanket from Flynn, already soaking up blood. The teeth from the Baitojoh had torn up the gauntlet covering his right arm. Mist shivered as she thought about how bad the damage would have been if it hadn't been there. She took his cloak, armor, tunic, and black shirt off, laying them out to dry faster. To her relief, Flynn regained consciousness as she finished wrapping the bandages over his right arm.

"I'm...glad you're awake...If you had died, I dunno...I dunno... I..." By then, she was starting to feel lightheaded from blood loss and the cold.

"Mist...?" Flynn murmured, sitting up slowly. The next thing he knew, Mist collapsed onto his lap. A gigantic red spot had formed on the blanket she had wrapped around her. Flynn took it and the equally soaked coat off her uniform. He lifted her shirt high enough to see the wound on her lower back. He grabbed the blastia on his shirt a little ways away and cast First Aid.

The spell was weak, but he managed to stop the bleeding and clear the wound of infection. He worked on bandaging her wound and grabbed a blanket from her bag that wasn't blood soaked and wrapped it around the two of them, holding Mist closer. Her clothes were freezing, but Flynn held her even tighter, trying to warm her up.

"That was reckless, jumping into the water..." Flynn murmured softly, his breath stirring her silver hair and pressing a kiss to her forhead. Before long, his eyelids began drooping and he fell asleep.  
\---------------------------------

Mist began waking with a groan, shifting her body a bit. She was instantly alert when she realized something was holding her tight. Looking up, she saw it was Flynn. He was asleep, oblivious to Mist's stirring.

"Flynn...!" Mist hissed. "Flynn! Wake up!"

"Huh...?" Flynn groaned, shaking his head to wake himself up.

"We need to keep moving," Mist prompted. "The aer krene is just up ahead."

"Oh, right." Flynn released Mist, who gathered up her belongings. Her back ached, but she ignored it, and her clothes were damp now, but still cold. Flynn put his shirt and tunic back on, ignoring the busted armor, and put the cloak back on. The two stepped outside, the sun shining brightly in the clear sky.

"We wasted an entire night," Mist observed.

"We should hurry then," Flynn replied. The wind that howled around them seemed to be keeping the monsters away, making the trip easier. A couple of Penguinists were sitting at the ice's edge, ignoring the two as they crossed the Blade Drifts. Within a short amount of time, they reached the aer krene.

"Undine?" Mist called out. "Are you here?" After a moment of silence, a twister of water appeared and Undine was in front of the two.

"You called?" Undine said.

"We wanted to ask you something," Flynn said. "Do you know anything about an Entelexeia named Jennuir?"

"Jennuir?" Undine murmured. "I feel I've heard that name mentioned before, but I can't recall where exactly."

"Then do you know where Origin is?" Mist asked. "He may know something."

"Origin, you say," Undine replied. "I believe he has made Zaude his domain. Perhaps if you go there you will find him."

"Thank you for your help, Undine," Mist said. Undine nodded and vanished.  
\----------------------------------------

"This must be Relewise Hollow," Kluke said, looking over the edge from the path going down the canyon of Weccea. The river below looked like a thin blue line from the height she and the Shadow Wielders were at.

"I wonder what would happen if you say, slipped off the edge?" Bouquet said.

"Don't say things like that!" Kluke exclaimed with a shiver.

"You scared, Kluke?" Shu teased.

"Of course not!" Kluke retorted, punching Shu in the face for emphasis.

"Let's just go down there and get this over with," Jiro sighed.

"Who died and put him in charge?" Bouquet huffed, crossing her arms.

"Let's just go," Andropov replied, following Jiro.

"Yeah, yeah," Shu grumbled, he and everyone else following. The path down Relewise Hollow was long, full of twists and turns as well as forks in the path. A couple of times, they went down the wrong one and had to turn back around when it became a dead end. And the wind blew strongly through the canyon, threatening to blow the group over the edge. After a bit, Andropov halted.

"A rock just moved!" he exclaimed, pointing ahead of them.

"Right. And pigs fly," Jiro scoffed.

"No he's right! It really is moving!" Kluke exclaimed. Ahead of them, a Roctus was stirring, It turned its rock body toward the group and began sliding toward them, bits of rock circling it.

"It doesn't looks so tough!" Shu said, summoning Blue Dragon. "Crushing Nail!"

However, the atack didn't even scratch the Roctus's body. Instead, it just made it angrier. The rocks floating around it were launched at the dragon Shadow, sending him and Shu onto their backs.

"He's tough...!" Blue Dragon snarled.

"Stop fooling around Shu!" Kluke scoldied, summoning Phoenix. The others did the same as Shu and Blue Dragon got back up. "Eternal Breath!"

As the fire attack flew at the monster, it conjured up more rock shards, forming a shield in front of it to deflect the attack.

"Now look who's fooling around," Shu mumbled, casting a sidelong glanced at a baffled Kluke.

"Sh-shut up!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Waves of Rage!" Jiro shouted. The rapid punches cracked the shield, Albiheim's Dark Shine shattering it. The Roctus's eyes widened and everyone swore they saw it sweating like crazy.

"Poison Claw!" Bouquet shouted, she and Hippo already transformed into a Gattusso. The attack sent the Roctus flying into the air.

"Blue Explosion!" The attack caused the Roctus to explode into thousands of little rock shards. Phoenix suddenly snapped her head around.

"Kluke! Behind you!" she exclaimed. Kluke spun around just in time to catch a Tiredillo rolling into her at top speed, Phoenix vanishing and Kluke flying off the edge. She grabbed onto the edge just in time, but she was losing her grip. The armadillo-like monster uncurled, losing its tire-like shape and roaring. Albiheim used Crystal Square, but the Tiredillo rolled up again and rolled away from the attack.

"Someone help me!" Kluke screamed. Jiro, who was the closest, shot out and grabbed Kluke's hand just as her grip slipped, Minotaur vanishing.

"Just hold tight, Kluke," Jiro said through gritted teeth. He began hoisting Kluke back onto the path.

"Jiro! Heads up!" Shu shouted. Jiro snapped his head around. The Tiredillo had leaped into the air and was falling right to the area he was. Grabbing Kluke, Jiro leaped back as the Tiredillo made impact, the ground beneath the group shattering. Before anyone could react, they all began plummeting toward the river below.

"Hippopon Hippotama Transform!" Bouquet screamed, she and Hippo vanishing in a giant cloud of pink smoke. "Ba'ul!" Below the rest of the group was a pink version of Ba'ul, on which they landed.

"Wow!" Shu exclaimed, standing up. "You did it, Bouquet!"

"Y-yeah..." Bouquet's voice said nervously. "We need to land right now... Hippo and I can't stay in a giant form like this for very long!"

As Bouquet began descending, Shu snapped his head around when he heard Andropov growl. The silver haired boy's eyes were narrowed at Jiro, who was still holding on to Kluke, as if the two didn't realize yet that they've landed, their eyes stil squeezed shut.

"What are you doing, Jiro?" he snarled. Kluke and Jiro's eyes shot open and they broke apart, blushing.

"I...uh..." Jiro started, but was cut off by Bouquet.

"I can't hold on any longer!" she cried out. A puff of pink smoke and everyone began plummetting again. However, they reached the ground sooner then any of them expected. Shu got up first, rubbing his back.

"Owww..." he moaned, then looked around. "Hey, I think we're at the bottom now!"

"If you're joking, I'll kill you," Jiro grumbled, getting back up and dusting himself off, everyone else doing the same.

"It's not a joke! Look! There's the river!" Shu exclaimed, pointing. Sure enough, the river running through the bottom of Relewise Hollow was surging in front of them. Kluke walked along the path and stopped, turning back to the others.

"Here's a cave!" she shouted. Everyone ran over, standing at the entrance of thr cave.

"I hear water..." Bouquet murmured.

"Let's go see if this is the place," Shu said, everyone entering the cave. A yellowish glow at the end showed them where to go. They at last came upon a giant cavern. Moss grew all over the floor and aer had pooled in a crack in the center where the aer krene was situated. Tiny particles of aer were floating above the spring before vanishing.

"This must be it," Kluke said. "That crystal in the center looks like an aer krene all right."

"But why does it sound like there's water in here?" Bouquet asked.

"Don't you remember what Rita said that aer krene were? They're springs of aer. That sound is probably aer pouring out," Kluke replied. Shu glanced over at her.

"You know, Kluke. You're starting to sound like you were born on Terca Lumires."

"Let's just find Sylph and get this done and over with," Jiro interrupted. Andropov glared at him.

"Hey, you don't have to say it like that. We have plenty of time, you know?"

"Sure didn't look like that when Jennuir appeared," Jiro retorted.

"Enough, you two!" Kluke exclaimed, rushing to stand in between the two boys. "Fighting'll get us nowhere. Let's just do what we came here to do!" The boys stared in astonishment, but said nothing else.

Shu stepped forward. "Sylph! Are you here? We need to talk to you!"

A whirlwind appeared in front of the group and Sylph came from it. "What is it that you need?"

"We need to know where Origin is," Kluke replied. "We think he'll have information on an Entelexeia named Jennuir."

"Jennuir... Where have I heard that name before...?" Sylph murmured, closing her eyes in thought.

"Do you know something about him?" Jiro asked. Sylph opened her eyes again.

"I'm afraid I can't help you," she replied. "If you seek Origin, head for Zaude. At the top of the arch is where you will find him."

"Hey, didn't Yuri and the others mention Zaude before?" Bouquet asked the group.

"Come to think of it, they did on a few occations," Kluke replied. "We should head for Aurnion and meet with everyone else, then."  
\--------------------------------

"It's...so...hot...!" Rita complained as Ba'ul flew them through the Sands of Kogorh on the way to Phaeroh's Crag.

"C'mon! It ain't that bad once ya get used ta it!" Raven chimed. Rita shot a glare at him.

"I will never...understand...how you handle this so well...!" Rita panted, though anger was evident in her voice.

"Enough already," Yuri called over. "We're almost there, so stop arguing."

"Whatever..." Rita huffed, looking back over the edge of the Fiertia. Estelle came over to Yuri, who seemed to be staring off into space.

"What's wrong, Yuri?" she asked. Yuri seemed to snap out of his trance at the sound of her voice. "Are you worried about the others?"

"Kinda," Yuri admitted. "Those Shadow Wielders are still unfamiliar with Terca Lumires, so I'm afraid they'll get lost or run into trouble."

"You aren't worried about Flynn or Mist, though?"

"Flynn's tough. He can handle it," Yuri replied. "And Mist is there to back him up. So no, I'm not worried too much about them."

"You say that, yet your eyes say something different," Estelle pointed out. "It's almost like you're trying to convince yourself. Just tell the truth, Yuri."

Yuri let out a long sigh. "Okay, you got me. Yes, I am a bit worried."

"And why?" Estelle asked.

"I've just...got this feeling that something happened," Yuri replied, glancing to the north. "I just hope they're alright..."

"I know what you mean," Estelle said. "I've known Flynn for a few years, so I'm worried if he got hurt. I don't know what I'd do if anything serious happened to him. And Mist is his wife. He loves her so much, so I think I'd be heartbreaking for him if anything happened to her."

"Flynn's so stubborn..." Yuri murmured. "He'd gladly die if it meant saving her. And I'm afraid that's what he'll do someday."

"I see..." Estelle said. "And I know it would hurt you too, since you and Flynn have been friends since you were kids growing up in the lower quarter. I...I've never had a special friend like that back in the castle, so I don't have the slightest idea for just how deeply you and Flynn feel for each other's safety."

"The guy can be a real pain in the ass most of the time, but he's always determined to protect those precious to him. Just like his father," Yuri said. Estelle perked her head up at that.

"His father?" she asked. "Isn't his father Finath Scifo?"

"That's right," Yuri repled. "Flynn doesn't exactly like talking about him."

"That explains why I haven't heard much about him," Estelle said. "The only thing I heard was that he was a Knight who died disobeying orders. That must be why Flynn doesn't talk about him."

"It's true his father disobeyed orders but if he didn't, Flynn and several people in the lower quarter wouldn't be alive today. He died saving all of them," Yuri explained. "Back when I was in the Knights in Shizentonia, the only thing Flynn ever talked about was following orders. Talking about Finath around him was taboo. We even came to blows when I teased him about it. He believed what his father did was a mistake and he wanted to do everything he could to not do the same thing."

"What happened to make him change, then?" Estelle asked. "Was it connected to the increase of monsters around the town? I remember him begging Alexei to send reinforcements when he arrived in Zaphias to attend the ceremony in place of Niren Fedrock."

"That's right. The captain wanted to investigate the ruins where he believed to be the source of the increasing aer. When Flynn reported that Alexei wouldn't send reinforcements until after the ceremony, the captain decided to take the entire brigade to investigate. Flynn, of course, objected to it but came along anyway. At the end we found a blastia Garista made to be the source of the increased aer, but the captain died as the ruins began to explode after we deactivated it. During his funeral, I told Flynn what the captain told me: that Finath left behind a legacy when he died. Just as the captain did."

"So that Garista creep was abusing blastia?!" Rita shouted, startling Yuri and Estelle.

"Do you know him?" Karol asked.

"Hell yeah! I had met him in the capital a few years back! He took the cores I found and turned them into weapons. I'd heard from your captain that he was your brigade's strategist. What happened to him?"

"I don't know if I should respond to that," Yuri said.

"Let me guess; you killed him," Rita said bluntly.

"Sorta. It wasn't just me," Yuri replied.

"You don't mean..." Estelle gasped.

"Wait a moment," Raven interrupted. "I'd heard the man died in a blastia explosion there in Shizentonia. Yer sayin' that's not the truth?"

"Was... Flynn the other person?" Estelle asked. Yuri turned his head away.

"Yeah."

"But why?!" Estelle demanded. "I know he's not the type of person to kill criminals without them having a fair trial!"

"..."

"Well?" Estelle prompted.

"Garista had pushed Flynn's button big time," Yuri replied finally. Everyone was staring intensly as Yuri continued. "Garista had been experimenting for some time to create a blastia that didn't need to run on a core. However, these experiments lead to casualties..."

"You mean that..." Estelle gasped.

"One of those experiments sent the monsters near Zaphias into a rampage, ultimately killing Flynn's father," Yuri finished. "This sent Flynn into a rage and we ended up killing Garista before Flynn could realize what he'd done."

Everyone was silent for a moment before Rita spoke up. "Garista had it coming, though. Abusing the poor blastia like that is unforgivable! Period!"

"Hey, come to think of it, I seem to remember seeing you and Flynn when I visited Shizentonia to apply to join the guild there[1]," Karol piped up. "You were with a pair of twins with red hair and a puppy I'm pretty sure was Repede. You were talking to two other Knights who had a warhound looking just like Repede with them."

"I was probably too busy getting chewed out to notice," Yuri grumbled.

"Yeah, you stormed after them and Flynn and the twins had to restrain you. I think you were shouting 'Come back here and say that again!'" Karol continued.

"What did they say to make you so upset?" Judith asked, a smile on her face.

"Yet's just drop it!" Yuri grumbled, waving one hand dismissively. Tokunaga eventually announced they reached Phaeroh's Crag and they landed, getting off the ship. They walked up the winding path to the dried-up aer krene in the center of the crag.

"Efreet. You are there, aren't you?" Judith asked. Fire swirled in front of them and Efreet appeared.

"What do you want now? This had better be important," the fire spirit growled, his eyes narrowed.

"Nice to see you, too," Yuri said.

"Efreet," Estelle said, walking over to the spirit. "We need to know where Origin is. We believe he'll know more about Jennuir, an Entelexeia that appeared on the Ilyccian continent."

"Jennuir, hmm?" Efreet said.

"Do you know him?" Judith asked.

"I'm afraid not. Although, his name had been whispered among the senior Entelexeia, back when Alrodoh was our leader. Eventually, his name vanished into legend and no one spoke of him since," Efreet replied. "The only thing I know was that he was leader before Alrodoh, before I was even born. You will find Origin residing in Zaude."

"Zaude, huh?" Yuri said. "Sounds fitting."

"If that is all you need to know, please go and leave me in peace for once," Efreet grumbled, vanishing.

"Is it just me, or has his personality not changed one bit from when he was Phaeroh?" Karol asked.

"Nah, he's changed," Raven replied. "He answered our question without threatenin' ta kill us first, so that's a big improvement if I do say so myself."

"We should head back to Aurnion for now," Yuri said. "We have to meet up with the others." He added silently in his head, 'And they'd better be alright!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] This was from Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike (check my profile page on fanfiction for the link to the full movie). In the scene where Yuri, Flynn, Chastel, and Hisca meet up with Jurgis and the really tall Knight (don't know his name, though it's probably in the credits along with everyone else in the brigade) and the large Knight says "Yuri. Don't go running off on your own like yesterday, all right?" pause it when he says the first word. In the background to the right, you'll see Karol. My only guess for why he's their in Shizentonia is because he got kicked out of yet another guild and is trying to join the one there.


	5. Story of Jennuir

The town of Aurnion had improved since it was first built a year ago. Dozens of houses and shops were clustered in the walls of the town. More people had moved there, making the town more prosperous. The guild abandoned the town to the Knights, however, because of the rising tensions between them.

Brave Vesperia and the Shadow Wielders were the first to arrive as planned. However, there was still no sign of Mist and Flynn. Two days passed and the group began getting impatient, yet concerned.

"Those two should've arrived by now," Rita said, crossing her arms. "What could be taking them so long?"

"I'm worried they ran into trouble," Estelle replied, folding her hands together. "The Blade Drifts of Zopheir is a very hostile and dangerous area after all."

"Not ta mention freezin'!" Raven added. "I swear, that's the worst place ta be in this world."

"Do you think we should look for them?" Bouquet asked Yuri.

"I dunno," Yuri replied, looking at the entrance to the town. "They could very well be on their way here. We'll just have to be patient and wait for them."

"I could look for them on Ba'ul while you all wait," Judith offered.

"I don't think that's..." Yuri began but broke off. "There they are!" Everyone turned to see Flynn and Mist heading through the entrance. But something looked wrong. Every time Mist took a step, she flinched and Flynn was grimacing as if he was in pain. Estelle ran over to the two.

"What happened?!" she exclaimed.

"A Baitojoh gave us a bit of trouble," Mist replied. "We had to make a side trip to the castle to change into new clothes and armor. Flynn's had been busted up by that monster."

"Glad to see you two are still alive at least," Yuri said. "When we faced one before, we almost became its lunch."

Estelle grabbed Flynn and Mist's wrists, dragging them over to Aurnion HQ. "I need to see how bad your injuries are."

"L-Lady Estellise...!" Flynn started, but a sharp pain shooting up his arm cut him off, making him give a small cry of pain.

"You're hurting us!" Mist finished. Estelle released them, covering her mouth.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she gasped.

"It's okay, Lady Estellise," Flynn replied. "But I think heading for Zaude is more important right now."

"So you two found Undine, then?" Yuri asked.

"That's right. She said Origin had made Zaude his domain, so we should head there if we want any answers about Jennuir," Mist replied.

"Sylph and Efreet said the same thing," Rita said. "Although it does make sense for Origin to inhabit the shrine."

"I know you all want to see Origin as soon as possible, but Flynn and Mist need to be treated right away," Estelle said. When Flynn and Mist opened their mouths to protest, Estelle cut them off. "It wouldn't do you any good if the injuries were to become infected."

The two Knights sighed. There was no talking Estelle out of something she made her mind up about. They followed her into Aurnion HQ, everyone else waiting outside for Estelle to finish.

\----------------------------------------  
"Flynn needs attention first," Mist told Estelle once they were inside the building she, Flynn, and Witcher had slept in after first building the town. "His injuries are more severe."

"I'm fine," Flynn protested. Estelle forced him to sit on the bed anyway.

"Take your armor, tunic, and shirt off so I can see where you're injured," Estelle instructed. Flynn did as he was told, revealing the bandages wrapped around his body. A faint blush appeared on Estelle as she began unwrapping the bandages. When she finished she recoiled, holding in a gasp.

The area around the wounds on his stomach and back were inflammed and there was barely any skin on his right forearm where the Baitojoh's teeth ripped at it.

"Oh my...!" Estelle said finally, leaning over to inspect the wounds more closely. She straghted up and glanced over Mist. "And you?"

Mist turned around, lifting her tunic and shirt high enough for Estelle to see the bandages covering the gash on her lower back. Estelle unwrapped them, a little more timidly this time.

"It's not as bad as Flynn's," she observed. "It's a bit inflammed, but not as serious, although it does look pretty deep." She turned and walked back over to Flynn, holding out her left hand and closing her eyes, a yellow-green magic circle appearing under her as she began using her healing artes. The inflammation vanished and the wounds slowly began closing. She finished, panting a bit from exhaution, and turned to Mist, doing the same. Flynn, meanwhile, put his uniform back on.

"You two are good to go," Estelle said when she finished. "I couldn't heal them all the way since they were pretty deep, but most of the pain should be gone." She put a hand to her head, swaying a bit before falling back. Flynn caught her just in time.

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Lady Estellise," Flynn warned, concern etched in his face. Estelle nodded and got back to her feet.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling. "I'm fine now."

"Just take it easy," Mist said. "Using healing artes puts your body through a lot of stress. We should go meet the others now."

The three went through the door, where everyone else was waiting.

"You good to go?" Yuri asked.

"We're fine now," Flynn replied.

"Ba'ul is ready to pick us up," Judith said.

"Right! Let's go!" Karol exclaimed, raising a fist into the air. As they headed for the Fiertia, a voice made them stop.

"Wait for us, maro!" Everyone spun around, seeing Marumaro and Saber-Tiger flying toward them. Marumira and Marutora were behind Marumaro, holding on tightly.

"Don't leave us behind, mira!" Marumira added.

"We want to come too, tora!" Marutora shouted. Saber-Tiger landed and vanished as the three Devee hopped off.

"You're done already?" Shu asked.

"Yeah! We can fight now, mira!" Marumira replied.

"Please let us come too, tora!" Marutora begged.

"What do you think, Yuri?" Karol asked. Yuri shrugged.

"As long as they can fight, they can come along," Yuri replied.

"Thank you!" Marumira and Marutora exclaimed, hugging Yuri's legs.

"Hey! Get off! Get off!" Yuri shouted. The two leaped off, smiling cheekily. Yuri sighed, climbing onboard the ship, followed by everyone else. Ba'ul howled, taking off and flew off in the direction of Zaude.

"Think it's possible we could land on the top?" Rita asked Judith.

"Depends on whether or not Zaude's defense systems are active," Judith replied. "If they are, we'll have to land the ship in the ocean and climb to the top of the shrine."

"I hope we don't have ta do that," Raven said. "The monsters in there are pretty nasty. Plus, there's a Giganto Monster that I don't think we'll wanna get tangled up with."

"Which Giganto Monster?" Kluke asked.

"Poseidon, a giant golem," Rita replied. "And like all Giganto Monster's, he'll be strong."

"How many Giganto Monsters are there?" Shu asked.

"Nine species in all," Karol replied. "Brutal, Brucis, Chimera Butterfly, Medusa Butterfly, Fenrir, Poseidon, Griffon, Hermit Drill, and Pterobronc. Giganto Monsters are the nastiest monsters in Terca Lumires."

"Well, there's Zaude," Mist said. Ahead of them was a giant arch surrounded by small mountains. On the top of the arch was a platform and on that platform was a gigantic green core.

"Be careful flying in, Ba'ul," Judith called up to the Entelexeia. "Even though the core is useless now as a key to the seal on the Adephagos, it could still fire." Ba'ul howled a reply, showing he understood, and slowed down, steadily coming closer and closer to the shrine.

"I think we may be in the clear," Yuri said. "We've come pretty close and it still hasn't fired at us. It should be okay to land at the top."

"You're right," Judith replied. "Ba'ul! Find a place to land!"

Ba'ul howled, decending the ship onto the platform at the top. Everyone got off, walking over to the core towering over them. Standing under it was Origin.

"I knew you would come," Origing said.

"That's why Zaude didn't fire; you were controlling the defense system," Rita said. Origin nodded and gazed over the group.

"What do you know about Jennuir?" Estelle asked, taking a step toward the spirit. "We heard he was the Entelexeia king before you."

"That is correct," Origin replied. "And his appearance will bring disaster."

"Disaster?" Kluke echoed, tilting her head to one side.

"What do you mean by that?" Mist asked. "I thought Entelexeia were the guardians of Terca Lumires. How could one represent disaster?"

"You know something, don't you?" Judith said, walking over to the spirit. "Please explain."

"Very well. I will explain from the beginning," Origin replied. "Jennuir was the king of the Entelexia in an age before the Gerios: the Draconian. Back then, Jennuir led the Entelexeia to new hights, making our race worshipped among the Krityans and humans. I was born in those times, so I know just how prosperous we were. In exchange for defending humans and Krityans from the monsters that threatened them, they would see to our every need. We were like gods back then."

"But something went wrong, didn't it?" Estelle asked. Origin nodded.

"Jennuir became power-hungry. His demands of the humans and Kritya became harsher. Many Entelexeia found this as unfair to the other races and confronted him. However, Jennuir and a group of Entelexeia fiercly loyal to him struck them down. Our race quickly became feared and detested. Soon, Jennuir imposed a harsher ruling on the Entelexeia. Any Entelexeia suspected of planning to overthrow Jennuir was killed immediately. Soon, we Entelexeia divided ourselves into two forces. I led the one opposing Jennuir and many Entelexeia sided with me. The other was composed of those who chose to stay loyal to Jennuir."

"A rebellion, then?" Judith asked.

"Correct. We waged war against Jennuir which lasted for centuries. Both sides were at a deadlock and we decided to resort to another method of winning the war. We found a way to impose a hibernation upon Jennuir and his forces and used it, sending them into a deep sleep. I then took over as leader and worked to make our race respected once again. The Kritya were the first, but the humans never trusted us again. We feared the day when Jennuir and his followers would awaken once again, and now it has come at last."

"Is there any way to put a stop to him?" Estelle asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you with that," Origin replied. "Jennuir is very powerful. However, some of his followers joined him only because they were afraid. If you were to find them, you may be able to find a way."

"Thanks for the help, Origin," Yuri said.

"Travel safely," Origin replied, vanishing. Everyone boarded the Fiertia and Ba'ul took off.

\-----------------------------------------  
"So we need to find the Entelexeia who were with Jennuir, then," Mist said. "I wonder where we should even begin looking."

"It shouldn't be hard," Yuri replied. "Entelexeia have been popping up all over lately."

"But we could encounter those who are loyal to Jennuir," Flynn pointed out. "We have to be cautious."

"And we still have to prevent any possible fighting between our world and yours," Kluke added.

"Perhaps we should head back to the castle for now," Estelle suggested.

"Good idea," Yuri replied.

"It'll give us time to plan our next move," Flynn agreed.

"So it's off to Zaphias, then," Judith said. "Ba'ul!"

Ba'ul let out a howl, heading east for Zaphias. Even though the barrier was no longer there, they could see the Sword Stair easily even from a distance. Ba'ul landed the ship at the entrance to the lower quarter and Yuri was the first one off. Almost immediately, Adecor, Boccos, and Leblanc confronted him.

"I say, Yuri Lowell you are under arrest!" Adecor proclaimed, drawing out his sword.

"There is no hope of escape this time!" Boccos added, pointing his spear at Yuri.

"Enough grandstanding, arrest him already!" Leblanc shouted.

"What is going on?" Flynn said, climbing off the ship, followed by an equally confused Mist.

"Is Yuri being arrested?" Shu asked after getting off the ship with everyone else.

"Yeah. Again," Rita replied, crossing her arms. "I swear, he lives in prison!"

"Commandant Flynn!" Leblanc exclaimed, standing at attention with Adecor and Boccos. "We were just aprehending this crimminal, sir!"

Flynn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yuri, what did you do this time?"

"Yes, tell him what you did, I say!" Adecor added.

"Tweedle A and I got in a bit of a verbal arguement," Yuri replied.

Flynn looked at his friend doubtfully.

"Okay, and a physical one."

Flynn raised an eyebrow, showing that he didn't believe Yuri was telling the whole story.

"Okay, okay! I might have dumped him into the river!" Yuri exclaimed, then added in a quieter voice. "Again."

"For crying out loud..." Flynn groaned, covering his face with one hand in embarrassment. "Yuri, why can't you just behave yourself for once?"

"I was collecting taxes and that's when this ruffian assaulted me!" Adecor exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Yuri.

"Ho boy..." Mist mumbled. "This job is never boring with the Schwann Brigade around."

"Sorry, but I must've mistaken you for some guy robbing Hanks," Yuri said to Adecor. "You wanna know something? It's stuff like this that keeps you guys from getting promoted."

"So what are you going to do, Flynn?" Jiro asked, glancing at the Commandant.

"Lady Estellise? What do you think?" Flynn asked, looking over at the princess.

"It's true that Yuri shouldn't have done that, but we have an important mission right now. His punishment will have to wait until we're done," Estelle replied.

"B-but, Your Highness!" Leblanc stammered, but Yuri cut him off.

"You heard her. Move along now."

The three shot Yuri a glare and turned, heading for the castle. Shu glanced at Yuri.

"Are you always being arrested?" he asked.

"Almost all the time," Flynn sighed.

"Mainly because he breaks out of prison," Mist added, narrowing her eyes at Yuri.

"Well maybe you should order the guards to stop sleeping on the job," Yuri retorted with a smirk.

"I don't get how you two are still friends, maro," Marumaro said.

"I don't either," Flynn replied with a sigh.

"Aw, I'm hurt," Yuri said.

"I'm hungry, mira," Marumira piped up.

"Me too, tora," Marutora agreed, the two kids rubbing their bellies.

"I swear, all you Devee think about are your stomachs," Kluke sighed. Then her stomach gave a loud growl, Kluke blushing and everyone laughing.

"Maybe we should go eat at the castle first, and then discuss where we're headed next," Flynn chuckled.  
\------------------------------------------

"I'm stuffed!" Shu exclaimed, patting his belly.

"Best meal I've had in weeks, maro," Marumaro agreed, doing the same.

"I swear, your stomachs are like bottomless pits," Bouquet giggled. "But I agree that the food was delicious."

"That's because Flynn didn't cook it," Mist chuckled, elbowing Flynn playfully in the ribs.

"Hey, I've been practicing!" Flynn protested, smiling.

"Sorry, but no amount of practice could fix you," Yuri smirked. Everyone stood up and left the room, halting when a voice sounded down the hallway.

"I'm sorry, but the Commandant it busy at the moment. You'll have to come back later." Flynn walked down the hall, followed by everyone else, entering the main hall in the castle.

"What's going on?" he asked. Shu dashed forward.

"Conrad!" he exclaimed. The Knight with Conrad turned immediately, saluting to Flynn.

"Commandant! I didn't expect you, sir!" he said. Flynn came over to him.

"Let him pass," Flynn ordered. The Knight nodded and went back to his post. Flynn turned to Conrad. "So why have you come here?"

"I've come to warn you about Rosekstan," Conrad replied grimly. The Shadow Wielders' eyes widened.

"Logi's here?!" Shu exclaimed.

"That's right. Both worlds have finished merging, so Rosekstan will be here as well, although we don't know where they are exactly. Sui has sent out her informants to discover where their base is located," Conrad explained. "Most likely, Logi will try to spread his influence on the people of Terca Lumires. That's one reason why I've come here."

"What's the other?" Yuri asked.

"I've also come to ask to join you. I've worked on developing my Kirin during this time," Conrad replied.

"Good, because we'll need all the help we can get now," Judith said. "We're now going to be facing a group of Entelexeia from ancient times, led by Jennuir."

"For now, we should get some rest," Flynn said. "It's getting late. I'll have rooms arranged for all of you. Tomorrow, we'll discuss what to do first."  
\-------------------------------------------------

Night fell quickly and most of the people in the castle were alseep, except for the Knights on a night shift.

In the girls' guest room, Judith headed for the door, unable to sleep. She crept by Bouquet and Kluke, who slept in one bed, Marumira, who slept in another and was drooling from a dream involving food, and Rita, who was mumbling some complicated blastia formula. Going through the door, she encountered Yuri, who was leaning against the opposite wall.

"Might wanna be quiet," he said. "Flynn and Mist are sleeping." He gestured to their room a little ways down the hall. Ever since the two were married, Mist moved into Flynn's room, both sharing the same bed. It wasn't too hard to imagine what the two did in there at night.

"Can't sleep?" Judith asked.

"What about you?" Yuri pointed out.

"You already know full well I take nighly strolls," Judith giggled.

"True," Yuri admitted. He turned to the boys' guest room when Jiro stormed out of it, covering his ears and looking pissed off.

"Looks like we're not the only one's who can't sleep," Judith smirked.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked Jiro.

"It took all my self restraint not to gag Shu, Marumaro, Marutora, Karol, and Raven," Jiro growled. "Marumaro keeps mumbling something about hamburgers, Marutora's talking about dinner, Karol's mumbling about Nan, and Shu and Raven won't stop snoring in my ears!" Jiro shouted the last part.

"Shut up out there!" Mist's sleepy yet loud voice sounded, making Jiro jump.

"Mist...Please keep your voice down." That was Flynn, though his words were a little slurred from sleeping. After a few moments, Judith spoke up again.

"I hope we're ready for what's ahead," she murmured.

"I don't think I've ever heard you unsure about anything," Yuri replied, faintly surprised.

"We're up against an Entelexeia whose power is probably greater than Phaeroh's," Judith pointed out. "And you know full well how powerful Phaeroh is."

"We'll just need to find some help from the other Entelexeia," Yuri replied.

"You have no idea where I'm going with this, do you?" Judith asked, her violet eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Jiro asked.

"I'm saying that Jennuir is powerful, and according to Origin, has many followers. He'll try to establish himself as king once again and you know the other Entelexeia won't agree to that," Judith explained. "A war could be waged over the next Entelexeia ruler, one that could make the world look like Mount Temza."

"So you're saying we now have two wars to worry about," Yuri groaned. "I'm cursed, I just know it."

"Another Great War could start," Judith murmured, lowering her gaze.

"Then we just need to keep that from happening," Yuri replied.

\------------------------------------------------------------------  
The next morning, everyone got ready to head out.

"Where should we begin?" Shu asked.

"We should look for General Logi first," Andropov suggested.

"I think Jennuir is more imperitive," Mist said.

"Perhaps we should try preventing a war from occuring between our two worlds," Conrad offered.

"I think we should just fly around and see what we run into first," Yuri said.

"That sounds like a good idea," Flynn agreed.

"I don't know if Ba'ul will like that," Judith pointed out. "He has his limits, too, you know." Ba'ul howled and Judith glanced at him. "Forget it. He agrees as well."

"I guess we should head out then," Estelle said. Everyone boarded the Fiertia, Ba'ul taking off with a howl and flying away from Zaphias.

Marumaro, Marumira, and Marutora began training with their Shadows, but were forced to stop when Tokunaga became paranoid they would destroy the ship.

Flynn and Mist were looking out over the ocean side-by-side, Mist's head resting on Flynn's shoulder while Flynn had one arm wrapped around her.

Shu and Jiro got into another arguement that was broken up after Kluke punched the two in the head.

Karol was sneaking up on Mist, but Mist noticed him and kicked out behind her, her footprint now part of Karol's face.

Rita was fiddling around with her spirit powered bohdi blastia while Estelle watched her.

Judith stood at the front of the ship, having a telepathic conversation with Ba'ul.

Bouquet was talking with Andropov about his feelings about Kluke.

And Yuri and Conrad were chatting away.

"So you've been able to fight with your Shadow, then?" Yuri asked.

"That's right," Conrad replied. "Kirin was very cooperative with me and we soon worked out a few attacks."

"I wonder if anyone else you guys know has a Shadow," Yuri said.

"You know, I thought originally that only the decendents of the Seven Soldiers of Light could have Shadows, but it seems there are also people who awaken Shadows without being decendents. People like Zola, who have fake Shadows," Conrad explained.

"Well, you and Marumaro's brother and sister have Shadows, so maybe it's possible for anyone to have one," Yuri replied.

"I wonder..." Conrad murmured.  
\------------------------------------------------

After a couple of hours, the group noticed something down below. A large castle-like fortress was stationed on an island right next to the Four Isles south of Desier.

"What's that?" Yuri asked. Shu's eyes narrowed.

"Rosekstan," he replied bluntly. There was a sudden flash and Ba'ul let out a shrill cry, droplets of blood splattering onto the ship as he frantically tried staying airborne. However another cannon fired and the ship quickly began descending toward the land below.

"Ba'ul!" Judith exclaimed. "Just hang in there!" Ba'ul replied with a weak howl, but continued dropping.

"At this rate, we'll crash!" Tokunaga shouted, clinging to the cabin as a canon found it's mark on the side of the Fiertia, the ship shaking dangerously. Mist stumbled backwards and right over the edge, Flynn grabbing her wrist just in time. By now, the ship was just above the treeline as another cannon fired at the ship, the shockwave throwing both Knights over the edge just as the ship made contact with the top of a tree, ripping through the hull.

"Flynn! Mist!" Yuri shouted. The last thing he saw was the ship making contact with the ground, splinters and planks flying everywhere, the ship itself collapsing inward and taking everyone down.  
\--------------------------------------------------

Flynn woke with a groan, rubbing his head. It didn't take long for him to realize someone had a grip on him. Looking down, he saw Mist had shielded him from the fall.

"Mist!" Flynn exclaimed, cradling her in his arms. "Mist! Wake up!" Mist didn't stir. Blood ran down her face from a head injury and her breathing was heavy. His eyes shot upward at the sound of footsteps. He narrowed them as soldiers surrounded them, gun aimed in their direction. A lady with ginger hair and wearing a red uniform approached them.

"So who do we have here?" she asked. "I thought the sentries reported the Shadow Wielders onboard that ship."

"Lady Matilda, other soldiers are investigating the crashed ship," one soldier replied. Matilda closed her eyes, thinking, then opened them again, turning around.

"I'll take them to General Logi," she said. "You all join the search party."

"Yes ma'am!" the soldiers replied, running off toward the direction the Fiertia crashed.

"Zephyrus!" Matilda shouted, summoning her Shadow. The Shadow roared and the three vanished in a flash of blue.

\-----------------------------------------------  
Yuri slowly crawled out of the wreckage of the Fiertia, coughing as he inhaled some of the dust floating around. When he was out, he saw everyone else had managed to escape.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"We're fine," Estelle replied, looking down. "But Flynn and Mist..."

"We should look for them as soon as possible," Conrad suggested. Judith was next to Ba'ul, resting one hand on the gigantic Entelexeia.

"Ba'ul should be fine," she reported.

"But the Fiertia's totalled," Karol murmured, glancing over at the pile of debris that used to be the Fiertia. He looked over at Tokunaga. "Do you think Gull's Song could provide us with another ship?"

"I'm afraid I can't even get to Dahngrest," Tokunaga said, rubbing his head. "I'll need a ship to take me there."

"Looks like we'll need ta ride on Ba'ul himself," Raven said.

"But what about Flynn and Mist?" Estelle asked.

"I'm pretty sure we have more things to worry about at this point," Jiro said, looking ahead. Approaching the wreckage were Rosekstan soldiers.

"Do you think they've found those two already?" Bouquet asked.

"We'll beat the soldiers up, mira!" Marumira exclaimed.

"That's right, tora!" Marutora added. Kluke turned sharply toward the two.

"Now's not the time! We need to get out of here as fast as we can!"

"I agree," Conrad said. "We're outnumbered as it is. We should retreat for now and come up with a strategy for rescuing Flynn and Mist."

"Yeah. Let's all get on Ba'ul for now!" Yuri exclaimed. He turned to Judith. "Judy, is Ba'ul fit enough for flying?"

"He's pretty tough," Judith replied. "He'll be fine."

"Let's go then!" Shu said. He, Kluke, Marumaro, and Andropov summoned their Shadows, everyone boarding them. They were flown onto Ba'ul's wide back, the Shadows vanishing.

"Hold on tight!" Judith called out behind her. Everyone gripped the multicolored fur running down Ba'ul's back tightly as the massive Entelexeia howled, taking off into the air and flying away from the base.  
\----------------------------------------------

"Who are these two, Matilda?" Logi asked, staring at Flynn and Mist, who had regained consciousness. Soldiers were positioned around them, guns raised in case either one of them tried anything funny.

"They fell from the flying ship we shot down, sir," Matilda replied. "We have reason to believe they have a connection to those Shadow Wielders."

"And the Shadow Wielders themselves?" Logi questioned.

"We are still scouting for them around where that ship crashed," Matilda answered. Logi walked over to the two Knights.

"From the looks of you two, you aren't from our world. Am I wrong?" Logi asked.

"We're Imperial Knights from Terca Lumires, our world," Flynn replied.

"And do you have connections to a group of Shadow Wielders?"

"Why should we answer you?" Mist growled. Logi smirked.

"It seems you still haven't realized the situation you're in right now. I'm the one in charge here. I could have the both of you executed at a single command."

"But you won't, will you?" Mist smirked. "We're valuable sources of information on your biggest enemies. Killing us would accomplish nothing."

"I see you're the arrogant type," Logi commented. "However, we have other ways of obtaining the information we need, so you'd better watch that mouth of yours if you want to stay alive."

"General, what should we do with them?" Matilada asked.

"Throw them in a prison cell for now," Logi replied. "We'll have some use from them yet."


	6. Rosekstan

The prison cell that held Flynn and Mist was large and spacious, the large door electronically locked. Flynn used First Aid, closing the gash on Mist's head from the fall.

"Thanks," she breathed. Flynn gave her a smile.

"That was awfully reckless of you, you know?"

"Strange hearing you say that," Mist replied. "Most of the time it's me who's saying it."

"I'm just worried about you is all," Flynn said. "Just promise me you won't do anything like that again."

Mist leaned in, kissing Flynn on the forehead. "Fine. As long as you do the same." She pulled back, worry glittering in her eyes. "I can't bear the thought of you dying." Tears began spilling out and Flynn wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.

"I'm sorry I've worried you. But I also can't bear the thought of you dead either. I want to protect you even if it kills me."

Mist returned the embrace, gripping his blue tunic tightly as her body trembled, burying her face in his shoulder. "Just make sure you don't die. Please...please don't go dying on me. I...I love you so much. Promise me you won't go and get yourself killed..."

"I promise," Flynn murmured softly. "You know full well I don't die easily."

"You've been lucky so far," Mist grumbled through the fabric of his tunic. "Just...don't pull a stupid stunt that gets you killed, or I'll never ever forgive you."

"Okay, I get it," Flynn chuckled, releasing Mist as she did the same, wiping her eyes. "Now, do you think you could use your magic to blast us out of here?"

"Yeah, should be no problem," Mist replied with a smirk. "Good thing Logi didn't take our blastia. He must not know a thing about them." She stood up, facing the door. A fire magic circle appeared under her. "O seething fire, be as a holy beast to devour the wicked... Flame Dragon!"  
\----------------------------------------------------------------

Logi was in the lab where the scientists tested out the new weapons when Matilda burst into the room, panting and out of breath.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"The two prisoners have broken out, sir!" Matilda exclaimed. "They're making their way toward the west exit. What are your orders, sir?"

Logi gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. He headed for the lab door. "Order all men to hunt them down. Capture them dead or alive!"

"And you sir?" Matilda asked.

"I'm joining in on the hunt. Odin!" Logi shouted, summoning his Shadow.

"What is it?" Odin asked.

"We're going to track down two escapees. Let's go!"

As Logi rushed out the door, Matilda headed for the alarm, hitting it, and grabbed the speaker next to it. "Attention! Two prisoners have escaped and are heading for the western exit! All soldiers are to track them down! General Logi's orders are to capture them dead or alive!"  
\------------------------------------------

Flynn and Mist were running down the hallway after breaking into the storage room and grabbing their things. Suddenly, an alarm blared and a voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

"Attention! Two prisoners have escaped and are heading for the western exit! All soldiers are to track them down! General Logi's orders are to capture them dead or alive!"

"Dammit!" Flynn hissed. "We've got to hurry!"

"Agreed," Mist replied. "Sounds like we'll be having some company soon."

"I hope Yuri and the others are on their way to bail us out!" Flynn added. "Today's just not our day, is it?" He turned his head at the sound of footsteps.

"They've already caught up?!" Mist exclaimed, seeing several soldiers chasing them. They raised their guns and began firing. "Shit!" Mist halted, spinning around as she yanked her sword out, using it to repel the bullets. "Dragon Claw!"

"Nice job," Flynn said as the attack made contact with the soldiers, creating a smokescreen that would cover their retreat for a short while. "Let's keep moving!"

The two continued to dash down the hallway. The footsteps of the soldiers soon pursued them again. Mist let out a cry as a bullet hit her in the forearm, stumbling to the ground as she gripped it with her other hand. "Not my day..." she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Mist!" Flynn exclaimed, performing Demon Fang to knock their pursuers back again. He quickly hoisted her back to her feet, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Just lean on me. We'll get out of here somehow."

"Thanks," Mist gritted out, biting back a hiss of pain.

"Sorry I can't heal it right away," Flynn appologized as he led Mist onward.

"Don't worry about it," Mist replied. "I already realize we'd have to stop completely in order for you to cast First Aid. At this time, we can't afford to slow down or we'll be killed."

The two ran the best Mist could allow. They could already hear the soldiers chasing after them yet again.

"They're tenacious, I'll give them that," Mist grumbled, sneaking a peek behind her.

"There's the exit up ahead!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Thank the gods," Mist sighed. However, as soon as they emerged outside, a voice boomed ahead of them.

"Gungnir Rising!"

A yellow energy beam shot out at the two. In the last second, Flynn pulled Mist down, crouching over her as the energy beam made contact with his back, Flynn screaming in pain.

"Flynn!" Mist cried out.  
\------------------------------------

"How does Ba'ul's wound look?" Yuri asked. Judith was next to Ba'ul after the Entelexeia landed them on the Four Isles. "Well?" he prompted when she didn't reply right away.

"It looks bad, but Ba'ul's tough. He'll recover in no time," Judith replied.

"Couldn't Estelle use her healing artes on him?" Kluke asked.

"No," Judith replied grimly. "Her power is a poison to the Entelexeia. She'd end up killing him. Sorry Estelle," Judith added when Estelle dropped her head.

"It's okay," Estelle murmured. "I've already come to accept that my power isn't able to help everybody."

"But we need to worry about busting Flynn and Mist out," Yuri reminded the group.

"That's right," Karol agreed. "They could be in serious trouble!"

"Knowing Logi, he'd have the security increased on the facility," Jiro pointed out. "It'll be hard sneaking in undetected."

"We could go in two groups," Conrad suggested. "One could serve as a distraction for teh guards while the other sneaks in and breaks Flynn and Mist out."

"There's only one problem," Raven said, crossing his arms. His tone of voice suggested he was getting into the character of Schwann Olterain. "We don't know where to even begin looking. All of us could very well be captured as well if we take too long searching every square inch of that place for them."

"Then what do you suggest we do otherwise?" Yuri asked.

"Someone could break into the security room and find out where those two are located in the facility," Raven replied.

"I could go do that," Kluke offered. "I'm great at hacking into computers."

"I could go escort her," Jiro added.

"And why you? Why not me?" Andropov growled.

"Probably because I'm in better condition than you are," Jiro retorted. "You still haven't recovered completely from the injuries you suffered three years ago. Your body is still liable to give out."

"I actually think it would be better for Bouquet to go," Shu interrupted. "With her power of turning invisible, it would be no problem for her to sneak into the security room."

"But there's still the problem of her being able to hack into the network," Kluke pointed out.

"Yeah. I don't think I'd be able to do that," Bouquet agreed.

"Couldn't Kluke just show you, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"I can't," Kluke replied. "I'd need to see the setup itself in order to be able to hack into it."

"I don't get why we can't just go back to our original plan," Rita said.

"With us breaking into two teams? Conrad did have a point there," Yuri replied. "It wouldn't do Flynn and Mist any good if we got captured as well."

"We'll beat up anyone who get's in our way, tora!" Marutora shouted, pumping his fists in the air. "Right, Marumira?"

"That's right, mira!" Marumira agreed, doing the same. Everyone else just sighed.

"Look. The longer we hang around here, the greater the chance Flynn and Mist could be in trouble," Yuri said. "We'll just need to come up with a plan when we get there." He glanced at Judith. "Do you think Ba'ul could fly us one more time?"

Ba'ul howled and Judith glanced up at the dragon. "He says he can handle it and not to doubt his strength."

"Thanks, buddy," Yuri said to Ba'ul. He turned to everyone else. "Right. Let's go!"  
\-----------------------------

"Flynn! Are you okay?!" Mist exclaimed. Flynn had his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched tightly. His face was only inches above Mist's. Smoke drifted from Flynn's back, where the energy had blown a hole in his clothing and left his back bloody.

"I-I'm fine..." Flynn managed to say through the excruciating pain.

"Seems we found our two escapees."

Mist stared past Flynn. Logi took a few steps toward them, a Shadow right behind him. It raised it's spear.

"I'll kill you both here and now!" Logi shouted as Odin threw the spear. Flynn grabbed Mist and threw her and himself sideways. The large spear ripped through his side, blood splashing onto the grass.

"Flynn...!" Mist gasped, covering her mouth in horror. She was a couple of feet from where Flynn was crouched on his hands and knees. There was a large ragged cut in Flynn's side, Flynn himself hissing as pain shot up him and blood continued to fall to the ground.

"You two do realize none of this would be happening if you hadn't decided to try escaping in the first place," Logi said, walking toward them.

"Shall I kill them now?" Odin asked.

"Go right ahead," Logi replied with a smirk. Odin grabbed his spear, looming over the two. "Gungnir Rising!"

"Blue Flare Evolution!"

The blue energy blast canceled out Gungnir Rising as Blue Dragon, merged with Bouquet and Hippo, flew down and landed a kick on the Shadow. Estelle rushed over to Flynn and Mist to tend to their wounds while everyone else arrived. The other Shadow Wielders already had their Shadows summoned.

"Dammit," Logi growled. He turned on his communicator. "Send in the Type 6's and the Sleipnirs." A hatch in the base opened, allowing the Type 6 Black Shadow troops to fly out, along with three piloted Sleipnirs. The Shadows for the Type 6's appeared as they surrounded the group.

"Mind filling us in about these things?" Yuri asked, glancing at Shu. Kluke answeared instead.

"The robots are able to summon Shadows, thankfully weaker than normal ones, though they possess other weapons. The Sleipnirs have high speed and attack power, so they'll be more difficult to deal with. They specialize in long-range attacks. Just stay on your toes and you should be fine."

"And the Sleipnirs are manned, so be extra careful," Jiro added.

"Estelle! How do those two look?" Yuri shouted behind him at Estelle.

"The wounds are pretty serious," Estelle reported. "They'll need to stay out of the fighting."

"I'm fine!" Mist insisted.

"No, you are not!" Estelle persisted, holding her injured arm to inspect it.

"You two up for your first fight?" Shu asked Marutora and Marumira.

"We'll be fine, tora," Marutora replied.

"Marumaro taught us how to fight, mira!" Marumira replied.

"You'll be surprised at what they can do, maro," Marumaro said, grinning. Shu sighed.

"I sure hope you're right."

"Will you be fine, Conrad?" Kluke asked. "This is also your first real fight with a Shadow."

"Don't worry about it," Conrad reassured her. "Let's do this, Kirin!"

"Right!" Kirin replied. The Shadow rammed into the nearest Black Shadow unit, destroying it. The other Type 6 Shadows shot at it, but Kraken got in the way.

"Aqua Whip!" Marutora shouted. Water appeared in front of Kraken, forming a large whip. It lashed out, blocking the energy beams and destroying the Shadows.

"Tri-Beam!" Marumira called out. Cerberus reared up, each head firing an energy beam at another Type 6.

"Toldja!" Marumaro beamed at Shu. He turned, facing a Type 6 Shadow heading right for him. "Sonic Scissors!"

Saber-Tiger's attack ripped through the Shadow, destroying it and the robot.

"Crystal Square!" Andropov shouted, trapping a group of robots while Rita finished them off with Indignation.

"Ultra-Punishing Smash!" Karol's arte completely demolished another Type 6.

"Moonbeam!" Judith's attack took out yet another while Minotaur's Conquer destroyed two more. One of the Sleipnirs fired at him, but Phoenix's Feather Protect blocked it. Yuri leaped up onto it, raising Second Star.

"Get off!" the pilot shouted, making the robot attempt to shake Yuri off. "Help me, you two!"

Yuri slashed down, wrecking the engine. Smoke poured out of the robot as it began falling, Yuri leaping off at just the last second. The robot crashed, the pilot getting out just as the Sleipnir exploded. Raven took out a second Sleipnir with a well-aimed arrow, leaving one left.

"Dammit," the pilot, sounding female, cursed. She shot at the archer, but Rita cancelled it out with Flame Dragon. Minotaur used Conquer on the Sleipnir, making it crash land just as the girl piloting barely escaped. Meanwhile, Saber-Tiger, Judith, and Blue Dragon finished the last of the Type 6's, leaving Logi as the last one.

"It's over, Logi," Shu said.

"Not while I'm still here," Logi retorted, lending power to Odin. The Shadow shot forward, swinging his spear. Blue Dragon raised the shield attached to his arm, growing as Odin increased the pressure.

"Whirlpool!"

"Lightning!"

Kraken and Cerberus launched their attacks at Odin as Blue Dragon pushed the Shadow away, Kraken's water attack increasing the power of Cerberus's Lightning. The Shadow staggered back, stunned long enough for Minotaur to unleash Waves of Rage, taking the Shadow down.

"Odin!" Logi shouted. Blue Dragon slowly approached them, ready to deal the final blow when Matilda and Zephyrus appeared in a blue flash.

"General!" she shouted. Zephyrus let out a cry and she and Logi vanished in another flash of blue. Bouquet and Hippo separated from Blue Dragon as all the Shadows vanished in a blue light.

"I guess that's do- -" Yuri was cut off by Mist's yell.

"Son of a damned bitch!"

"Mist! Please watch your language in front of Lady Estellise!" That was Flynn. Everyone turned to the commotion. Estelle had finally managed to remove the bullet from Mist's arm and now the woman was cursing just about every living thing. Flynn had already had his injuries bandaged and was staring awkwardly at Mist's performance.

"I suppose we should go before Logi decides to show up again," Judith said. She looked up toward the sky. "Ba'ul needs to find someplace to recover and we need a new ship. I suggest Dahngrest should be our first destination."

"You sure that's such a good idea?" Karol asked. "We do have two Knights with us after all."

"I'll beat the hell out of anyone who gives us any problems," Yuri snarled, his grip on Second Star tightening. Karol sweatdropped.

"I don't think that would be a very wise move, Yuri..."

"It doesn't matter where we go, as long as it's away from here," Raven pointed out.

"He's right, you know," Judith agreed.

"In any case, we won't be able to travel for extended periods of time without a ship," Rita said.

"We could drop Tokunaga off at Dahngrest so he could try to hook us up with another ship while we find someplace to stay while we plan out our next move," Judith suggested.

"We could stay at Heliord," Estelle said.

"Good idea," Yuri agreed. "Well, let's head out."  
\--------------------------------------------------

When they dropped Tokunaga off, the sun was starting to set. When they reached Heliord, the moon was high in the sky. Yuri was able to rent a few rooms for the group. Flynn and Mist stayed in one with Estelle staying with them to continue to see to their wounds. All the girls slept in another, while the boys slept in a third.

It was midnight and Mist woke up. She glanced over to see Estelle asleep on the couch, exhausted from her use of healing artes. Mist chuckled slightly and got out of bed, walking over to the outside balcony overlooking the outside forest.

"Can't sleep either?"

Mist looked over her shoulder. Flynn walked over until he stood next to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

"Not really," Mist replied then giggled. "Arm hurts like a bitch."

"No surprise there," Flynn laughed. His face hardened. "I wonder how we'll be able to deal with the ancient Entelexeia. From what Origin described, they sound powerful."

"Even so, we won't allow them to take over," Mist said. "We'll just find some way to defeat them."

"Perhaps we should do what Origin suggested and find some of his former followers," Flynn said. "They may even aid us."

"It's not guarenteed, though," Mist pointed out.

"It's worth a try," Flynn replied.

"But we also have a probable war between the two worlds to worry about as well," Mist said, narrowing her eyes. "It almost seems like nothing ever settles down."

"That's why we should enjoy peaceful moments like tonight as much as possible," Flynn replied. He turned and headed toward his belongings, shifting through them.

"Flynn?" Mist questioned. Flynn came back toward her.

"Close your eyes," he said. Mist gave him a questioning look, but obeyed. A moment later, he gave the word to open them. "Happy birthday."

Mist looked down. Around her neck was a necklace. It had a violet crystal with a silver dragon coiled around it.

"Flynn, I love it!" Mist exclaimed, hugging Flynn tightly.

"I thought you would," Flynn replied.

\--------------------------------------  
Judith was outside of town, communicating telepathically with Ba'ul.

'How are your wounds?' she asked.

'Doesn't hurt as much anymore,' Ba'ul replied. 'Just give me a couple of days. I'll be fine then. You know, you worry way too much about me.'

'Of course I worry about you. You're my friend!' Judith sent back. 'Have you attempted to make contact with the ancient Entelexeia?'

'Sadly, it's hard to find them as I have never met them before. I have made contact with a few though,' Ba'ul replied. 'However, their language is still unfamiliar to me, though they've begun to adapt to the present one. It will take time to have a full conversation with them.'

'Do your best then. I'm counting on you,' Judith finished, breaking the telepathic communication. She started to walk back to the inn when she encountered Yuri.

"You talk to Ba'ul?" Yuri asked.

"Yes," Judith replied. "I've asked him to try talking with the ancient Entelexeia in order to find those no longer loyal to Jennuir. He told me it will take time for them to adapt to our language and the language used by the present day Entelexeia."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to make some sort of alliance with them to help us with Jennuir," Yuri said.

"Maybe, but it could be difficult," Judith replied. "They don't know anything about us. They may attack instead."

"That would be bad," Yuri sighed. "I'm just hoping things will go smoothly."

"We'll just have to worry about that when the time comes," Judith said, walking past Yuri. "It's pretty late. We should be getting back to bed."

"You don't seem too worried at all..." Yuri murmured.

"Really? That's strange," Judith replied, glancing back. "Goodnight then."

"Yeah. 'Night."

\--------------------------------------------  
The next morning, everyone got ready to head out. Yuri glanced over at Judith.

"Is Ba'ul fit enough to fly?"

"He'll be fine," Judith replied.

"I wonder if Tokunaga's arranged another ship for us," Karol said.

"I doubt it. Things like that take awhile," Raven replied. "So, where are we headed?"

"Maybe we should visit Sui in Korin," Kluke suggested. "She might have learned something new."

"Good idea, Kluke," Shu replied.

"Better than nothing," Yuri shrugged. He turned to Karol. "What do you say, Boss?"

"Yeah. That's a good first destination," Karol agreed.

"Ba'ul is waiting for us just outside of Heliord," Judith said. "We shouldn't keep him waiting too long."

"Right. Let's go," Yuri said.

\---------------------------------  
It was past noon by the time Ba'ul landed at the entrance of Korin. Everyone got off and Ba'ul took off again. But something wasn't right.

"What in the world happened here?!" Shu exclaimed. The city of Korin was almost completely demolished. Buildings were smashed in, debris littered the walkways, and the citizens were in panic.

"Look! There's Sui!" Kluke said, pointing to a large group of people. Sui and the other informants were attempting to calm the people. They dashed over when they saw the group approach.

"Sui, what happened here?!" Conrad demanded.

"You guys arrived late," Sui said. "A little while ago, a giant monster appeared and demolished the entire town in mere seconds. We're having a difficult time calming the people. It's total chaos here!"

"I've never heard of a monster that could destroy a town in such a small amount of time," Karol murmured, thinking. "The only beings who would be capable of that would be the Entelexeia."

"What did this monster look like?" Judith asked.

"It resembled a raccoon in a way," Sui replied. "It was about twice as large as the buildings here. It was golden in color with blue vein marks all over its body and a gigantic tail. It's eyes were golden and the pupil was in the shape of a cross."

"I've never seen an Entelexeia matching that description," Judith murmured.

"And the attack here wasn't the only one," Sui continued grimly. "Reports told us that other cities and towns have been attacked. Giant creatures were the cause in all of those incidents. In the attack here, the monster spoke before attacking."

"What did it say?" Yuri asked.

"It said something about the world falling back into the rule of its true king," Sui replied. "The only other thing it said was it's name, Shukaku [1]."

"It must be Jennuir's followers that are attacking!" Estelle exclaimed.

"From the looks of this place, I'd say they're pretty powerful," Flynn commented grimly.

"We're gonna need a lot of help with this," Mist agreed. "I doubt we'd stand much of a chance."

"Do you need any help with repairs?" Conrad asked.

"As a matter of fact, we do," Sui replied. "We'd like to ask the White Guardians for their assistance in repairs as well as protection against any other attacks."

"I'll ask Dr. Tarkovsky for his assistance, then," Conrad replied.

"So off to Nirvana?" Shu asked.

"If you don't mind, could you take me their?" Conrad asked, turning to Yuri.

"Sure," Yuri replied. He looked at Judith. "Is Ba'ul okay with that?"

"I'm sure he doesn't mind," Judith replied. "Ba'ul likes to help out in any way he can."

"What do we do after we drop him off?" Rita asked.

"We should try gathering information on Jennuir's followers," Judith suggested.

"Or find his former followers," Mist added. "I bet they could tell us a lot about him."

"Either way, we're stuck for now," Yuri sighed. "We can decide our next move after we reach Nirvana."

"Okay!" Karol exclaimed. "Everyone! Let's head out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] For those of you who watch Naruto, you'd recognize Shukaku as the One Tails' real name. I'll be putting in the other eight Tailed Beasts as Entelexeia in the story, but using their real names. For example: Instead of Two Tails, it'll be Matatabi. Instead of Three Tails, it'll be Isobu. For Four Tails, it'll be Son Goku, and so on.


	7. Memories

The group finally arrived in Nirvana and headed straight for the castle. However, they were met by an awkward man with a blonde afro.

"Knight Master Conrad!" he exclaimed. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Who's this?" Yuri asked, blinking a couple of times in surprise.

"Legolas," Shu, Jiro, Marumaro, Kluke, and Bouquet replied, all five sweatdropping.

"I've only been away a short time, Legolas," Conrad said.

"Yeah, but...!" Legolas protested, but stopped himself, staring at the group behind the Knight Master. "Oh. It's you guys."

"This old man's a joke..." Mist grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I am not an old man!" Legolas protested, storming over to her. "And just who are you guys?" He scanned the Terca Lumires group suspiciously. Conrad walked over to him.

"These people are from the other world, Legolas," Conrad explained. "I'm only going to be here shortly to gather men to help with the repairs on Korin."

"So it's true the informant city was attacked?!" Legolas exclaimed. "Nirvana could very well be next!"

"Ooh, will you shut the hell up?!" Rita demanded. "You're giving me a headache!"

"Same here," Karol grumbled, covering his ears.

"Shut up." Rita smacked Karol over the head, making the boy fall face-first to the ground.

"Wh-what did I say?!" Karol exclaimed.

"Play nice you two," Yuri said, casting a sidelong glance at the two.

Flynn glanced up at the darkening sky. "It's starting to get late," he commented before facing Conrad. "Do you mind if we stay the night here?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," Conrad replied. "Follow me. I'll escort you into the castle."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Wow! Look at all this food!" Shu exclaimed. The group was in the dining hall, where tables of food awaited them. The three Devee began drooling and Kluke had to restrain them from shooting forward and devouring it all.

"Behave!" she scolded.

"Don't worry," Conrad chuckled. "There's plenty for everyone."

"I see you all are getting settled in," a voice sounded behind them. The group turned around, seeing an old man and a light blonde haired girl beside them.

"Hey! Purimura!" Shu exclaimed, running over to the girl. She gave him a small smile.

"It's been awhile, Shu," she replied.

"Dr. Tarkovsky," Conrad addressed the old man. "These are the people I told you about." He gestured to the group from Terca Lumires.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Dr. Tarkovsky said to the group. "I hope both our worlds will find a way to coexist with each other."

"That's what we're hoping for as well," Flynn replied, stepping forward. "My name is Flynn Scifo, Commandant of the Imperial Knights of Zaphias. This is my second-in-command, Mist Scifo." He gestured to Mist.

"So are you two brother and sister?" Dr. Tarkovsky asked.

"Uh, well..." Mist began awkwardly, before Yuri interrupted her.

"Might wanna see their rings first," he smirked. Mist glared and elbowed him in the ribs. Hard.

"When will you grow up?!" she demanded. "People get married all the time! It's not like we're the first ones!"

"When will you stop abusing me?!" Yuri retorted, rubbing the area she elbowed.

"When you can learn to keep that mouth of yours shut for once!" Mist growled.

"Flynn, I pity you, you know?" Yuri said, glancing at Flynn. This earned him a kick to the leg. "Ow!"

"Shut the hell up!" Mist yelled.  
\----------------------------------------------

Night fell and everyone headed off to the guest rooms. Judith paused halfway in the doorway, her eyes narrowing for a second.

"What's wrong, Judith?" Kluke asked. Judith hesitated before replying.

"I though I sensed something. It probably was just my imagination."

"You probably just need to get some sleep," Bouquet suggested.

"Are you sure it was nothing, Judith?" Estelle questioned, worry etched into her face.

"I'm not too sure. I just had a chill go up my spine."

"It was probably nothing, then," Rita yawned, sitting on her bed and stretching before plopping down. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I need some serious shut-eye."

"Yeah, me too," Kluke agreed, settling down into her bed. "Well, good night everyone."

"Yeah. 'Night," Bouquet yawned.

\-------------------------------------------------  
"Mist, you need to go to bed at some point," Flynn said.

"I know, I know. I just need a quick drink and I'll join you," Mist replied, reaching for her mug. Just before she could grab it, the mug cracked, making Mist jerk her hand back, her eyes narrowing.

"Is something wrong, Mist?" Flynn asked, walking over to her.

"I'm just getting this feeling that something bad's gonna happen," Mist murmured. "I'm not usually one to believe in omens, but this one's making me nervous..."

"It's probably just an old mug," Flynn reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Maybe..."

Flynn sighed, pulling Mist close, his breath warm on her ear as he whispered in it. "Come on. Let's get to bed. It won't do us any good to be tired in the morning."

Mist relaxed, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're right. I'm probably just being over sensitive."

However, as the two settled down in bed, doubt continued to gnaw inside Mist. Was there really nothing to worry about?

\--------------------------------------------  
Conrad was heading off to bed when a soldier stopped him.

"Sir, a large creature is headed our way!"

"A what?!" Conrad exclaimed.

"An orange fox with nine tails," the soldier explained.

"Evacuate the entire city!" Conrad ordered. "I want every soldier at the ready for an attack! Send the citizens to Zaphias, the city to the east of here!"

"Yes sir!" the soldier replied, saluting, before running off. Conrad headed in the opposite direction, reaching the guest area and barging through the first bedroom door, startling Flynn and Mist, who were sleeping until just now.

"Is there something wrong?" Flynn asked, sensing the urgency from Conrad.

"It seems an Entelexeia is headed for Nirvana. I've ordered all the citizens to be evacuated to Zaphias. Is that acceptable?" Conrad asked.

"Yes," Flynn replied.

"We will be defending the city," Conrad explained. "Will you assist us?"

"Of course," Flynn said, reaching for his uniform. Mist rubbed her eyes, ywaning loudly.

"Do what when how where why?" she mumbled, her words slightly slurred from sleep.

"An Entelexeia is approaching Nirvana," Flynn explained. Mist was immediately alert and groped for her uniform as Conrad went into the other bedrooms, informing the rest of the group of the situation. Within minutes, everyone was dashing outside the castle toward the entrance to the city. Already, the Entelexeia was just about upon the city. It was almost as tall as the walls themselves, nine bushy tails thrashing wildly about.

"Attack!" Conrad shouted, every soldier around him charging at the large fox. The Entelexeia chuckled at this.

"You puny humans don't stand a chance against me, Kurama," he said. He opened his mouth, a small red energy ball forming. Kurama ate it and fired it, immediately charging another before the first could even make contact with the army. He fired five consecutive energy balls, each one blasting away soldiers and leaving small craters in the ground.

"Kirin!" Conrad shouted, summoning his Shadow. At the same time, a sixth energy ball was fired, aiming straight for the Knight Master.

"Feather Protect!" A blue barrier surrounded Conrad and Kirin, shielding them from the attack.

"Thanks, Kluke," Conrad called over his shoulder.

"Just be careful," Kluke warned. "You're not as experienced with using a Shadow as the rest of us."

"Blue Explosion!"

"Sky Terror!"

Minotaur and Blue Dragon's attacks didn't seem to have an effect on Kurama. Instead, it just made the Entelexeia angrier. He roared, swiping at the Shadows and taking them and their wielders down. The soldiers proved helpless against Kurama as the fox took them out by slamming each of his tails down on them.

"Meteor Storm!" Rita and Mist shouted. The fire spell staggered Kurama, the Entelexeia wincing slightly before recovering. At the same time, Saber-Tiger, merged with Hippo, used Sonic Scissors, slashing Kurama's muzzle and leaving a large cut on it.

Kurama spat, clawing at the Shadow as he seemed to be all over the place, landing slashes before appearing in another place and attacking.

"Rending Saber!" Conrad shouted. Kirin's golden horn glowed and the Shadow shot forward, intent on running the Entelexeia through. Kurama saw this and grabbed the Shadow, slamming him down and causing the Shadow to vanish in a blue light as Conrad cried out in pain. He grimaced and charged at the Entelexeia, swinging his sword at one of Kurama's hind legs, digging it in deeply.

Kurama's red eyes widened and he snapped his head around, snarling at the Knight Master. He wrenched his leg from the sword and lashed out with one hand, sending Conrad flying into the city wall.

"Conrad!" Shu exclaimed, starting to run over to the Knight Master.

"Shu! Think fast!" Blue Dragon roared. Shu turned just in time to see Kurama rake at him, Shu and Blue Dragon ducking at the last second. Kraken and Cerberus took this chance and grabbed the arm.

"Let go!" Kurama growled.

"Not a chance!" Kraken snapped.

"Great Hurricane!" Marutora shouted. Water appeared around Kraken, increasing rapidly before slamming into Kurama. At the same time, Marumira had Cerberus use Triple Blast, each head firing an energy ball at the Entelexeia. Kurama was sent staggering backwards, growling and shaking his head.

"Light Dragon...Destruction!" The three golden dragons from Flynn's Mystic Arte caused Kurama to stagger onto his hind legs and fall onto his back.

"Crystal Square!" Andropov shouted, binding Kurama long enough for everyone else to cause some more damage.

"Enough!" Kurama roared, whipping his nine tails and knocking the attackers back. He threw his head back, aer compressing into a giant ball in front of his mouth. He fired it, the energy ball hitting Nirvana castle and exploding, the blast enveloping the city and reducing it to nothing.

"No way..." Kluke gasped, one hand over her mouth. Conrad, who was being seen to by Estelle, jumped to his feet, despite Estelle protesting against this, and stared jaw-dropped at the destruction.

"This can't be happening..." Conrad murmured. Behind the group, Kurama chuckled coldly.

"This is what happens when you don't swear loyalty to us," the Entelexeia said. "Don't make us destroy every last one of you." The fox turned and dashed away, tails streaming behind him, before anyone else could react.

"That bastard!" Shu exclaimed, glaring in the direction Kurama ran off.

"I can't believe how much power he had," Andropov commented, wide-eyed.

"If I had to make a guess, I'd say he was holding back big time when fighting us," Mist said, crossing her arms. "If he had that much power at his disposal, he could have wiped us out in a heartbeat."

"So he was just toying with us then," Jiro growled. Flynn glanced over at Conrad.

"Since Nirvana has been destroyed, you and your army could stay in Zaphias for now. We could make a combined force," he suggested.

"That's a good idea. We should talk more there," Conrad replied.  
\---------------------------------------------------

The sun was barely over the horizon by the time the group reached Zaphias. Estelle and Mist pathced up everyone, most only having minor injuries while Conrad, Yuri, Flynn, and Shu had some pretty deep scratches.

As soon as they reached the Public Quarter, Legolas was running toward them, panic in his face.

"Knight Master Conrad! Is that blood on your uniform?!"

"Legolas, I'm- -" Conrad started, but Legolas interrupted him.

"Hurry! Hurry! We need to have a doctor see to you right away!"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it," Conrad replied, but Legolas wasn't listening.

"We can't have you dying on us! Come on!"

"For the love of all things, HE'S FINE!" Rita shouted, her patience at its limits. Legolas jumped, startled by the mage's sudden outburst. "Estelle's already healed him, so shut up!"

"You've got quite the temper there, little missy," Legolas commented, staring at Rita. "You might want to take a few deep breaths and calm yourself down."

The next thing Legolas knew, he was a screaming ball of fire.  
\----------------------------------------------

"Conrad, are you sure you're fine?" Shu asked when they entered the castle. Conrad had winced a couple of times on the way there and was gripping his bandaged wound.

"Don't worry about me," Conrad replied with a slight grimace. "I've had worse injuries than this. I'll be fine."

"Just take it easy," Shu said, still concerned.

"But that thing was powerful," Bouquet murmured.

"It actually looked like it was just testing us that entire battle," Kluke said.

"Probably just to see if we would be a threat to us," Judith replied. "The Entelexeia have learned over the ages that mankind can be powerful if we wish us to be."

"I'm just wondering how we're going to be able to handle these ones," Yuri grumbled. "I highly doubt talking things over will help much."

"Our only option may be to ally ourselves with the other Entelexeia," Judith said. "This way, we may stand a better chance of defeating Jennuir's forces. I've talked to Ba'ul. It seems that after to talking to several Entelexeia, he's found a possible defector."

"Does he know this Entelexeia's name?" Mist asked.

"Fusrodah," Judith replied.

"Location?" Flynn asked.

"That Ba'ul doesn't know yet," Judith admitted. "I've asked him to ask some more Entelexeia. But he's got a good handle on Fusrodah's personality."

"Is it important?" Yuri asked.

"Apparently, it could be difficult to negotiate with him. He's stubborn and doesn't take kindly to strangers, especially humans. We may need to subdue him first."

"In other words, we'll need to fight him," Jiro said.

"With any luck, it won't come ta that," Raven said.

"We'd better hope," Flynn murmured. The group entered the hallway where the guest rooms were located. "Mist and I will discuss this with Emperor Ioder. Conrad, you might want to come with us as well."  
\---------------------------------------------------

"Your real name isn't Mist, is it?"

Mist glanced over at Conrad in surprise. "Where'd that come from?" She, Conrad and Flynn had just finished talking with Ioder and were heading back to the others.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but it just seems like an unusual name," Conrad replied. "And it just hit me as well. You mentioned in your story that you don't remember your parents. There's a good chance then that you can't remember your real name. Am I right?"

Mist hesitated for a moment then sighed. "Yeah, my name isn't really Mist. It's short for Mystery."

"Mystery?" Conrad asked.

"It's what the people around me took to calling me," Mist explained. "I hated the name, but I had nothing else to go by, either. And I hate to admit it, but the name suited me. I simply shortened the name to Mist."

"I see," Conrad murmured. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't sweat it," Mist replied. "I've grown used to it. It doesn't bother me as much anymore as it used to." Her eyes narrowed, as if deep in thought. "Over this last year, I've been recalling some memories of my parents, but they're brief and unclear. I remember one having long silver hair, like mine, but with curled ends. I believe that was my father. I have this feeling I've seen him recently, though..."

"Perhaps he's still alive somewhere?" Conrad suggested.

"Why would any parent abandon their own child?!" Mist exclaimed angrily. "I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, believing both my parents were dead!" Mist's eyes widened and she took a step back. "Sorry. I didn't mean to shout."

"It's okay," Conrad replied. "I should be the one appologizing. I was sticking my nose into your personal business."

"No, no," Mist said. "Don't worry about it."

Flynn stared at the two, thinking about what Mist had remembered.

'A man with curled silver hair...' Flynn thought. 'Could it be...'

\-------------------------------------------------------  
That night, Mist's memories flooded into her dreams:

Mist was about three years old, witnessing her mother and father arguing back and forth.

"What do you mean you can't stay with us?!" her mother shouted, scaring a young Mist.

"I am sorry, but I did not plan for any of this to occur," her father replied calmly. This just made Mist's mother angrier.

"For what to occur?! To have a daughter?! To live with us?! To take care of Hope?!" 

"I cannot be a father Hope could be proud of," Mist's father replied. 

"It's a good thing Hope will be too young to remember you," Mist's mother growled. "You're right about one thing: You are a father she will never be proud of. Leave and never show your face around here ever again."

Mist woke with a start, gasping for air and her face sweating.

'Hope?' she though. 'Is...that my real name?'  
\----------------------------------------------

"Time to eat!" the three Devee called out in the morning, sitting at the large table in the dining hall. As the group ate, Flynn glanced over at Mist. She had been staring into space for awhile now, not even noticing the food being set onto the table.

"Mist?"

Mist jumped, blinking wildly as if she'd just awoken from a trance. "Wh-what is it, Flynn?"

"Are you okay? You've been staring at the wall for several minutes," Flynn replied.

"I'm fine," Mist said, lowering her gaze. "Just... tired, I guess..."

Flynn didn't buy it for a second. Something was definately wrong with her. "Mist, did something happen?"

Mist didn't reply. Flynn wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. Mist didn't react, her eyes still shadowed with sadness.

"My...father..." she murmured, so softly Flynn almost thought he'd imagined it.

"Huh?" he asked.

"My father... really did abandon me..."

"Mist, what are you talking about?"

Mist buried her face in Flynn's shoulder, her body trembling as she fought back her tears. "Last night, I remembered something..." she replied. "My mother and father were fighting...and my father left us..."

"I see..." Flynn murmured. "Mist- -"

"My name isn't Mist!" Mist suddenly exclaimed, startling the rest of the group.

"What's going on?!" Yuri demanded. Mist continued.

"My name isn't Mist, it's Hope!"


	8. Patty Fleur

"What's going on?!" Yuri demanded. "Mist, what are you talking about?!"

"Her real name's Hope, maro?" Marumaro asked, glancing up at Shu.

"Hey, don't ask me," Shu replied.

Kluke blinked a few times before speaking up. "What do you mean your real name is Hope? Isn't it Mist?"

"Her name was short for Mystery," Conrad replied. "She lost her family at a young age and couldn't remember her own name. So that's what the people around her took to calling her. She didn't like the name, but didn't know what else to call herself, so she just shortened the name to Mist."

"So... what up with suddenly remembering your real name?" Karol asked. Hope went on to explain her dream last night. When she finished, she was awarded with awkward stares.

"Okay, that sounds a little ridiculous. Are you sure you didn't have too much to drink last night?" Yuri asked. Hope glared at him from across the table.

"Hey, is it just me, or does it look like she's about to kill someone, tora?" Marutora asked nervously. Yuri's eyes suddenly widened.

"Are you playing footsie with me?"

"No, just feeling for your shin," Hope replied.

"Why would you- -OW!" Yuri screamed, reaching for his right leg.

"That's why," Hope said, sitting back with a satisfied grin.

"So are we supposed to call you Hope now?" Kluke asked. "Or is it still gonna be Mist?"

"I honestly hated the nickname Mystery. Hope is better," Hope replied, crossing her arms. "Besides, it's my real name."

"Do you remember what your parents look like?" Estelle asked.

"No. In my dreams, it's like I'm looking at them through some dense fog. I can't make out any facial features," Hope said.

"Your memory of them may come back with time," Flynn said. "For now, we need to focus on tracking down Fusrodah. Judith, has Ba'ul found anything new about this matter?"

"Unfortunately, no," Judith replied. "He believes Volt may have some answers, though,"

"Why's that?" Yuri asked.

"One Entelexeia told Ba'ul that Fusrodah passed through Keiv Moc some time ago. He may have encountered Volt," Judith said.

"So you believe Volt has some clue as to Fusrodah's current location, then," Flynn said. Judith nodded.

"So Keiv Moc should be our first destination then," Shu said.

"Can I opt out?" Karol asked, raising his hand.

"Why would you ever opt out, Captain?" Yuri asked with a knowing grin.

"Umm... because...uhh..."

"Don't be a wuss," Rita said, smaking Karol on the head.

"Why, what's the problem?" Kluke asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"You'll see when we get there," Raven replied with a smirk.

"At least we have a new ship now," Yuri said.

"We do?" Hope asked.

"Yeah, Tokunaga informed us earlier," Yuri replied.

"Good. Once we're ready, we'll head out," Flynn said.  
\----------------------------------------------

In Keiv Moc:

"Get us outta here!" Karol, Kluke, and Bouquet all screamed. A beetle monster had flown overhead.

"That's why," Raven said, smiling. Andropov and Jiro sighed.

"This forest is huge," Conrad said, staring upward, trying to spot the tops of the trees.

"An overproduction of aer at the aer krene caused the plants and trees to grow oversized," Rita told him. Everyone froze when a scream sounded through the forest. It was getting closer and closer.

"Wh-what is that?" Karol asked, his legs shaking.

"Don't go wetting yourself now," Jiro grumbled. A beetle carrying a blonde haired girl wearing a pirate outfit suddenly flew into the clearing the group was in. Raven whipped out his bow, shooting the monster and causing it to drop the girl. Yuri rushed forward, catching her just in time.

"Nice catch!" the girl exclaimed, staring up at Yuri with large, bright blue eyes. Yuri dropped her and turned around and walked away, leaving Estelle to rush over to the little girl.

"Yuri! Be nice!" Estelle scolded, then turned to the girl. She looked no older than ten years old. Her blonde hair was in two braids and she didn't look the slightest bit happy. "Are you okay? Did that monster hurt you?"

"I'm fine!" the girl pouted.

"What's your name? Mine's Estellise, but you can call me Estelle."

"Patty Fleur[1]," Patty replied.

"Why are you way out here in Keiv Moc?" Hope asked. "Did you get lost?"

"I'm not lost!" Patty exclaimed indignantly. "I was looking for treasure when that big bug grabbed me!"

"I think we've got another weird one on our hands," Jiro said.

"Do you need us to show you the way out?" Kluke asked, bending down.

"Why are you all treating me like a little kid?!" Patty demanded.

"Because that's what you are," Rita replied.

"I'll have you know I'm fourteen!" Patty snapped.

"She's older than us!" Shu and Kluke exclaimed.

"You sure don't look it," Jiro pointed out. Patty huffed and turned to Yuri.

"So, Mr. Handsome, what's your name?" Patty asked, making Hope, Flynn, and Rita gag.

"She's fallen for Yuri?!" the three exclaimed.

"Do you three have something you want to say to me?" Yuri growled.

"So it's Yuri then, huh?" Patty chimed. She turned to Judith, who was standing by watching the whole scene. "You and him had better not be lovers, you hear me?!"

"And now she's picking a fight with Judith..." Hope, Flynn, and Rita sighed.

"I think we're wastin' time here," Raven interrupted. "Volt's just up ahead."

"Yeah, we'd better get going," Shu agreed. The group began to head out again when Patty blocked their path.

"I'm going with you all!" she proclaimed, her hands on her hips.

"Why?!" the group exclaimed in unison.

"Heh heh! Watch this!" Patty pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Karol.

"Wh-whoa! W-watch where you're p-pointing that thing!" Karol stuttered, waving his hands wildly around. Patty pulled the trigger and a thud sounded behind Karol, who ducked, covering his head. He peeked behind him and gasped. A Grasshopper had been sneaking up behind him, up until Patty shot it.

Patty put her pistol back, beaming smugly. "How's that?"

"W-wow..." Estelle gasped.

"Now can I come with all of you?"

"That's a great idea!" Hope agreed, smiling mischievously at Yuri. Yuri groaned.

"Yeah, sounds good to me," Rita added, understanding what Hope was thinking. "It should make our trip much more lively if the rest of you catch my meaning."

"Oh no..." Yuri groaned.  
\------------------------------------------------------------

The whole way to the aer krene where Volt resided was filled with Patty's stories on all the treasure she's found. By the time they reached the aer krene, all of them were ready to leave her behind in the forest.

"I never knew pirates could be this obnoxious..." Shu moaned, covering his ears.

"For the first time, I agree," Jiro added, his patience about to snap. Patty was still yammering on and on and on.

"We're here!" Rita exclaimed, relief in her voice. Estelle walked over to the aer krene.

"Volt? Are you here?" she asked. A moment later, lightning flashed and the Spirit of Lightning appeared.

"What do you need?" Volt asked.

"Wow! Is that a spirit?!" Patty exclaimed, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"Yes it's a spirit," Rita grumbled. Judith approached Volt, who was staring at Patty curiously.

"Volt, we want to know if you'd seen an Entelexeia by the name of Fusrodah."

"Ah, him," Volt nodded. "How could I forget that grump? He passed through here and gave me an earful of just how much more he has seen in this world than me."

"Do you know where he was headed?" Judith asked.

"He grumbled something about a nice place near the top of a waterfall to the east of here," Volt replied. "To be honest, I'm glad he's gone. I didn't know him and he got on my nerves at an astonishing speed. Fusrodah seems more likely to fight than to talk. But he's got gray hairs on his muzzle, so he's probably more bark than bite now."

"A place at the top of a waterfall to the east," Rita murmured. "The only place that fits that description are the top of the cliffs near Caer Bocram."

"Thank you for your help, Volt," Judith said.

"Yes. Just be careful when you meet him," Volt replied.  
\----------------------------------------------

"It's starting to get late, you guys," Yuri said. "We should land for the night and pick up on our trip in the morning."

"The ship's so crowded," Hope noted. There were eighteen people total on the ship, including Tokunaga.

"Yeah. A lot of us are gonna have to sleep outside," Flynn agreed. He kissed Hope on the forehead and whispered, "Come on. Let's find a place to sleep."

"Yuri and I will sleep together!" Patty exclaimed.

"Like hell you will!" Yuri snapped. "I'd rather sleep with Raven!"

"Aw! Yer so sweet, Yuri!" Raven chimed. Yuri sighed.

"Forget it."

"I'll sleep with Bouquet!" Marumaro exclaimed, a perverted grin on his face as he leaped on Bouquet, shoving his face in her cleavage. Bouquet screamed and Kluke and Andropov dashed over, wrenching the Devee off of her.

"I will never sleep next to you!" Bouquet shouted. She turned to Shu. "Darling! I'll find a comfortable spot for us!"

"For the millionth time, I'm not your 'Darling' or 'fianceé'!" Shu exclaimed.

"Oh, stop being like that, Shu. Come on, Andropov," Kluke said, taking Andropov's arm and walking him over to the cabin, the two laying down next to it. Jiro winced slightly and Kluke noticed this.

"Do you want to rest here with us Jiro?" Kluke asked. Jiro glanced away.

"No thanks. I'm fine." Jiro grumbled, walking to the other end of the ship.

"Boy, someone's a little jealous," Rita commented, making Jiro turn to her. She, Estelle, Marumira, and Judith were settling down next to each other, a reluctant Patty joining them. Jiro glared at them before joining Yuri, Raven, Karol, Marutora, Marumaro, and Conrad. Tokunaga headed into the cabin.

"It's such a beautiful night tonight," Hope murmured, snuggling closer to Flynn, her head reating on his chest and listening to his heartbeats.

"Yeah, it is," Flynn agreed. He glanced down at her. "Are you gonna be okay to sleep tonight?"

"What do you mean?" Hope asked, turning her golden eyes upward to his.

"Well, you've been having those dreams..."

"Oh, that. Well, they could help me remember my past," Hope replied. She yawned. "I dunno about you, but I need some serious shut-eye."

\-------------------------------------------------------------  
"Come on, Jiro! We all know you have a major crush on Kluke, maro!"

Jiro blushed, snapping his attention to Marumaro, who was grinning ear to ear. "Sh-shut up!"

"No use denying it, Jiro," Shu added.

"You too?! Why don't you guys shut up and go to sleep already?!"

"We can't go to sleep until to confess to Kluke how you really feel about her, maro," Marumaro replied.

"For the last time, I have no special feelings for her!" Jiro snapped.

"Then why are you blushing, Jiro?" Shu asked smugly.

"Because of what you guys are saying!"

"Shut up and go to sleep already!" Yuri growled sleepily. His tone suggested that if the three didn't do as they were told in the next three seconds, he would throw them over the edge of the ship.

"Sorry..." the boys muttered. As the three began settling down to sleep again, Shu faced Jiro.

"Jiro, even I think you deserve a little happiness in life."

"Are you saying I'm not happy now?" Jiro growled.

"I'm saying why not give it a shot. I mean, just look how happy Flynn and Hope are."

"She's got Andropov," Jiro pointed out.

"Just looking at Kluke, I can see that Andropov isn't the one for her. Just give it a try sometime."  
\------------------------------------

"We're here!" Tokunaga announced the next day. Ahead of the ship were the large cliffs overlooking Caer Bocram.

"So where do we begin- -" Rita began, but was cut off by Karol.

"Hey look! Is that Fusrodah?!" Everyone rushed over to the side of the ship to spot what Karol saw. Lumbering over to the river spilling over the cliff was a large white tiger-like creature. Four black horns sprouted from its head and long silver fur from the tips of its black ears cascaded to the ground. Its long bushy tail swept the ground as the creature bent down to drink from the river.

"That must be him," Judith agreed. She looked up. "Ba'ul, take us down!"

Ba'ul howled an agreement and began descending, landing a safe distance from the Entelexeia. Once everyone got off and headed over, the Entelexeia whipped his head around, his red eyes staring uncertainly at Ba'ul. The group were within a few yards of the Entelexeia when he crouched, hissing.

"What do you want?! Are you here for Jennuir? You can tell him I am never coming back!" he growled.

"Don't worry. We aren't here to bring you back to Jennuir," Judith reassured him. "Do you happen to be Fusrodah?"

"I am," Fusrodah replied, still uneasy. His teeth were still bared, but he seemed to have calmed down a little. "Why are you bothering me?"

"We just want your assistance in the fight against Jennuir," Flynn replied. Fusrodah barked with laughter.

"Are you all fools?! No one, not even Alrodoh, could hope to kill Jennuir!"

"We won't know unless we try!" Shu retorted. Fusrodah stopped laughing and fixed his gaze on the group.

"There if no one, human, Krityan, or Entelexeia, who can kill Jennuir. Not when he has his nine loyal subordinates with him," Fusrodah explained.

"Nine subordinates? Do you mean Shukaku and Kurama?" Yuri asked. Fusrodah nodded.

"The one-tailed raccoon is Sukaku. The two-tailed phantom jaguar is Matatabi. The three-tailed tortoise is Isobu. The four-tailed ape is Son Goku. The five-tailed mountain goat is Kokuo. The six-tailed slug is Saiken. The seven-tailed dragonfly is Chomei. The eight-tailed octopus-bull is Gyuki. And the nine-tailed fox is Kurama," Fusrodah replied. "Each one of them has astonishing power and are the most powerful Entelexeia in Jennuir's army. They have been nicknamed the Tailed Beasts."

"If we fight together with all the other Entelexeia opposing Jennuir, then we can win!" Hope protested.

"They've already tried that once and the best they could manage was to put us in hibernation!" Fusrodah roared. His shoulders sagged. "I am too old now to be fighting. I am older than Jennuir himself. I still remember our king before him, Ysmiru, and how kind and benevolent he was. There are many, many times when I wished Ysmiru had not passed away."

"That was then. This is now," Yuri argued. "We have the spirits to assist us now, as well as many, many humans and Krityans. I believe we stand a chance now."

"That is a fool's idea," Fusrodah growled, his fur bristling. "I've told you over and over: no one can hope to kill Jennuir!"

"If you can't assist us in fighting, perhaps you could offer us some intel on Jennuir himself," Flynn offered.

"No amount of information I give you will help to end Jennuir once and for all," Fusrodah snarled. "Just leave me in peace! I want nothing more to do with any living thing!" The Entelexeia roared the last part, raising one massive paw and bringing it down on the Knight. Flynn managed to sidestep just as the paw shattered the ground where he had been atanding before.

Fusrodah curled his lips back in a ferocious snarl, revealing long, sharp, yellowed teeth. He opened his mouth and roared, pouncing at the group, claws outstretched.

"Dammit! Looks like we have to fight him now!" Jiro grumbled as he and the other Shadow Wielders summoned their Shadows.

"Fusrodah..." Judith murmured sadly, watching the Entelexeia's face twist in pure fury.

"It's either we put him down, or he puts us down," Yuri reminded the Krityan. Judith glanced at him and nodded sadly, taking out Brionac and charging at Fusrodah, performing New Moon Blade. For how old the Entelexeia was, he was still quick in reflexes. He swatted the Krityan away and leapt back to avoid Cerberus' Moon Roar, the three soundwaves obliterating the ground where Fusrodah was.

"Indignation!" Rita shouted, the Mystic Arte hitting Fusrodah, leaving him open of Kirin's Rending Saber. The attack sent him stumbling back close to the edge of the cliff, but he leapt back to where he was before to avoid Yuri's Azure Storm and Flynn's Demonic Chaos.

"Fireball!" Hope shouted after charging three fireballs, launching them at the Entelexeia. Fusrodah managed to avoid the first two, but the third hit him in the face, blinding him temporarly, enough time for Shu to hit him with Blue Explosion. Fusrodah staggered right into Saber-Tiger's, combined with Hippo, Blitz Claw, slamming into his flank. Minotaur brought his fists down on Fusrodah's back, collapsing the tiger to the ground.

Patty used Variable Trigger, shooting three times at Fusrodah while Karol used his Mystic Arte, Overlord Reign Impact. The Entelexeia swiped wildly, managing to score his claws across Conrad's stomach as he charged at the tiger to deliver a sword strike.

"Air Divide!" Estelle shouted, shooting out at Fusrodah and striking him before shooting back and stirking him a second time.

"Double Impact!" Marutora and Marumira shouted, Kraken and Cerberus going high up before shooting downward toward the Entelexeia, the impact driving him further into the ground.

"Blast Heart!" Raven shouted, expelling massive energy from his blastia heart to damage Fusrodah.

"It's time to finish this," Yuri said, leaping at Fusrodah. In a last-ditch effort to defend himself, the Entelexeia threw himself at Yuri, sending the swordman tumbling over the edge of the cliff. Flynn, who was the nearest, grabbed Yuri's hand just in time, Yuri dangling over the edge with Flynn struggling to pull his friend back up.

Fusrodah staggered up to them, raising a paw and bringing it down. "Die!"

"Flynn! Watch out!" Shu shouted. The paw collided with Flynn, crumbling the edge he was on and making both him and Yuri fall countless feet to the earth below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] For those of you who don't know, Patty Fleur is from the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia, which is Japanese-exclusive. For my own sake, I won't have her backstory the same as it was in the game. I read many wikis on her and looked up many Youtube videos that were subtitled, but I don't think I could manage the whole amnesia thing and her relationship with Seifer. So for this story, she's just a random 14-year-old girl who looks 10 years old and has a major crush on Yuri and a major rivalry with Judith.


	9. Dreams of the Past

"Flynn!" Hope screamed as she watched the Commandant and Yuri fall from the cliff. Fusrodah growled, stumbling a bit, almost falling over the edge himself. Hope grit her teeth in anger, glaring at the Entelexeia. Her grip on Last Fencer tightened as she charged at the tiger.

Fusrodah swung around, opening his mouth and charging an energy beam. Before he had a chance to fire it, Hope slid underneath him, slicing the Entelexeia's belly open. He roared in pain and started fell over, his body tumbling over the edge. He was an apatheia before he even hit the ground.

"Fusrodah..." Judith murmured. Karol ran over to the edge.

"Yuri... Flynn..." he whispered.

"We should go down and rescue them right away," Conrad said.

"I doubt anyone could survive a fall from this height," Jiro commented, peering over the edge. "Hold on. There's a pool of water down below. Maybe they fell in there."

"We should go and check then," Shu said. Judith nodded and put a hand to her head. A moment later, Ba'ul landed the ship and everyone boarded it. With a howl, Ba'ul took off.  
\------------------------------------------

As consciousness started coming back to Yuri, all he could feel was his entire body aching. His eyes snapped open as he recalled the events before, of Fusrodah's massive paw smashing into Flynn, the cliff edge crumbling beneath him.

"You're awake now."

Yuri's gaze switched over to the direction the voice came from. And old man with a sword was sitting next to him. The man's gaze went to something on the other side.

"Danel, are you almost done healing that one?"

"Just about finished, Master Griz."

Yuri turned his head, seeing a young boy standing over an unconscious Flynn. An Asura Shadow was behind him, casting a healing light over the Knight. The Shadow vanished and Danel wiped some sweat off his forehead.

"All done," he said. Flynn's eyes opened slowly.

"Where... am I...?" he murmured.

"We found you two floating in a pool of water here in these ruins. We brought you into one of the houses here," Griz explained.

"Ruins...? Houses...? Then we must be in Caer Bocram," Yuri mumbled, attempting to sit up, only to fall back down when a dizzy spell hit him.

"Be careful!" Griz warned. "I wouldn't be surprised if you got a head injury."

"Where's everyone else?" Flynn asked groggily, rubbing his forehead.

"Probably still fighting Fusrodah," Yuri replied. "We're probably close enough that we can regroup."

"Not in your condition," Danel said, sitting down in a chair. "Asura was only able to heal your more serious injuries, but not all of them. I would recommend resting for a couple more days before setting off."

"Yeah, well I'm pretty sure we have a certain silver haired girl and a pink haired girl freaking out right now," Yuri chuckled.

"So you two are Griz and Danel," Flynn said. "I think I heard your names mentioned before..."

"That's right! Shu mentioned you two!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Wait, you know Shu?!" Danel demanded.

"Yeah, we're traveling with him and his friends," Yuri replied. "Although Jiro can be a real pain in the ass to be around."

"So how do you know him?" Flynn asked.

"We helped him and the others against a group of dragons know as the Legion of Elite Species," Danel replied.

"As well as Conrad and Legolas," Griz added.

"I really can't see that old man Legolas doing anything helpful," Yuri mumbled.

"Yeah...you're kinda right," Danel admitted, sweatdropping. "But it is true that his dumb luck help us quite a bit."

"Huh, you don't say," Yuri replied.

 

"Flynn! Where are you?!" Hope shouted as the group searched for the two. They had landed at the bottom of the waterfall, close to Caer Bocram.

"Yuri?!" Estelle called out. "Can you hear me?!"

"We'll never find them at this rate," Andropov grumbled, swatting away the mosquitoes attacking him.

"We can't give up now!" Shu insisted.

"That's right!" Patty added. "I can't bear to think of anything bad happening to my beloved Yuri!"

"You're starting to sound more and more like Bouquet, maro," Marumaro said.

"Here comes Kluke!" Karol exclaimed. Kluke and Phoenix had been searching for Yuri and Flynn in the air. The two landed, Phoenix vanishing in a blue light.

"Any luck?" Judith asked. Kluke shook her head sadly.

"Dammit!" Hope shouted, punching a tree. To everyone's amazement, the trunk splintered and the tree itself was sent flying from the punch.

"W-wow..." Karol stammered. "When did you get so powerful?"

"All I do is store as much spirit power from my blastia as possible into my fist and release it all at once as soon as I hit something or someone," Hope explained.

"Great, so now you're even scarier than before, tora," Marutora said, sweatdropping. Marumira nodded in agreement.

"Excuse me?" Hope growled, turning to the two Devee children. They gulped nervously and ran behind Conrad.

"Help us!" they begged the Knight Master.

"Hey, hey! I'm afraid I'm not going to be acting as your shield," Conrad said to them.

"Come on! Let's get back to finding those two idiots!" Rita insisted.

"Aww, I knew you were worried about them," Karol cooed.

"Ha!" Rita exclaimed, punching Karol into a tree.  
\----------------------------------------------------

"You two are you're okay to be leaving?" Griz asked. Yuri and Flynn stood at the door of the ruined house.

"Yeah, we need to find our friends," Yuri replied. "We'll be fine." Flynn nodded in agreement.

"I see. Well tell Shu and the others we said hi," Danel said. The two nodded and headed out the door.

"Damn, wonder where we should begin looking first," Yuri grumbled when the two left Caer Bocram.

"Well, we'd better start right away," Flynn said.

"Yeah, I know. I just hate being out in the woods of Tolbyccia. Damn bugs eat me alive out here," Yuri swatted at the cloud of bugs swarming around him.

Flynn sighed. "I feel you there."  
\-------------------------------------------------

A large rhino-like creature walked over to a river. It's entire body was covered in a plated hide, the edges golden. It had six legs and a tail ending in a mace. Large silver spines rand down its back. Accompanying it was a red four-tailed ape. It was three times larger than the former, it's head almost breaching the tops of the trees.

"Are you sure, Allon?" the ape asked.

"I am, Son Goku," Allon replied. "I'm certain I sensed the death of one of our own around here."

"That's strange, though," Son murmured. "Lord Jennuir never sent any of us out in these parts."

"Perhaps one was passing through here when they were attacked?" Allon suggested.

"The foes must have been powerful, then, to be able to kill one of us," Son commented. Allon swung his head around, staring at the edge of the river.

"I sense an apatheia in that direction," Allon said.

"I sense it as well," Son agreed. The two traveled along the river, coming up to a large patch of mud. On the edge was a glowing apatheia, the river splashing over it. Son reached out a hand, snatching up the stone before the river could wash it away. He held it out to Allon, who approached it.

"Who was this, Allon?"

Allon closed his eyes, concentrating on the consiousness stored inside of the apatheia. He recoiled then consentrated again, verifying who he sensed.

"Well, well, well," Allon chuckled darkly. "Looks like the traitor Fusrodah was slayed. And quite recently, by the feel of it."

"Heh, Lord Jennuir will be quite pleased by this discovery," Son said. His brow furrowed. "However, despite the tiger's age, he was still quite powerful. Whoever did him in is probably still in the forest." Son glanced at his comrade. "Allon, I have a job for you."

 

"Shit, it's getting dark already!" Hope growled.

"We'll have to set up camp for the night, then," Conrad said. "We can search for Yuri and Flynn first thing in the morning."

"Those two had better stay alive until then," Rita grumbled.

"Aww, I knew you were worried," Karol teased. Rita narrowed her eyes and held up one hand, Karol suddenly cowering and covering his head. "Sorry!"

"I hope things are going okay in the capital while we're away," Hope murmured. "It'll be bad if war breaks out, whether it's between the Union and the Empire, or Terca Lumires and the other world. And with Jennuir and the ancient Entelexeia, our plate's completely full."

"Well, at least things won't get boring around here," Jiro commented.

"Jiro, do ya crave chaos that much?" Raven asked, one eyebrow raised at the swordsman.

"I'm just saying it's better than spending all our time sitting around, twiddling our thumbs!" Jiro retorted indignantly.

"Sure, sure," Raven said, his eyes half-lidded.

"As long as I'm with Yuri, I'll be happy!" Patty exclaimed.

"You see?! That's the thing with you that's pissing me off!" Rita exclaimed, storming up to the pirate. "You take one look at Yuri and immediately decide he's the love of your life! You don't even know a thing about him!"

"Rita, I think you're being a little harsh..." Kluke whispered, but the mage continued ranting.

"Do you know the guy's got a prison record?! He's constantly being chased around by the Knights! And he's totally rude to top it all off! Do you seriously want to spend your life with someone like that?!"

Patty just stood with her mouth gaping.

"Wow..." was all Shu said.

"She's kinda scary..." Andropov muttered. Kluke nodded in agreement.

"Scary woman!" Marumira and Marutora exclaimed. Marumaro backed up several steps from Rita.

"Rita, that was really mean," Estelle murmured, clutching her hands close to her chest.

Rita huffed. "On top of everything, you forced yourself into our group, which is plenty big as it is. Yes, you can fight, but that doesn't mean we want you around us 24/7. You're VERY annoying!"

"Rita, that's enough!" Hope shouted. "If Patty wants to tag along, that's fine. We'll have her out of the group if she starts to become a burden. And from what I've seen, she's been pulling her own weight."

"You know, this isn't just for you to decide. It should be the entire group's decision," Rita retorted.

"Hope does have a point, you know," Shu said. "So far, Patty's been a real help."

"Same here," Judith added. "Until Patty can't seem to pull her weight, she should stay."

"More the merrier is what I say," Raven said. "Let the kid stay." Everyone else nodded in agreement. Rita stood, baffled, while Patty's face lit up.

"Thank you!" Patty exclaimed. Rita turned away with a "hmph!"

"Great, now she's gonna be sour the rest of the journey..." Karol grumbled.

"We should get some rest. We need to find Yuri and Flynn," Hope said.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------  
Hope tossed and turned in her sleep, more memories springing to life.

Her mother had just died after days of sickness. Three-year-old Hope spent days just trying to survive. One day, a woman found her, taking her to an orphanage. However, the staff forced the children to work for their next meal. Their names were replaced by a number code and birthdays and holidays just meant more work.

After six years, the Great War broke out. The orphanage was destroyed in the midst of the turmoil and Hope, now nine years old, was left to fend for herself once again. By then, all her memories of her life were replaced by the hard labor demanded at the orphanage. Including her name and the memories of her parents. 

Two months later, she met a boy with short dark green hair and blue eyes and appearing to be about twelve years old on the streets of Dahngrest. He looked her over once. Her clothes were in tatters and she was covered in dirt.

"You a war orphan?" he asked.

"I...I came from the orphanage..." Hope stammered, shying away from the boy. "It was destroyed..."

"I see. You got a name?" the boy asked.

"Uh, it's 1473," Hope replied nervously.

"1473? What kind of name is that?"

"It's my name from the orphanage..." Hope replied. "I...I think I had a name before that, though I can't remember it..."

"Wait, did you come from that orphanage to the west of here?" the boy asked. Hope nodded and the boy continued. "I've heard about it. How they force the children into hard labor. I know some people who've escaped from it."

"You do?" Hope asked.

"Yup. I can take you to meet them."

"Thank you...uh..."

"It's Sam."

"Oh. Thank you, Sam!" Hope exclaimed.

"Hmm, we're going to need to call you something, though," Sam muttered, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "What do you want your name to be?"

"I dunno..." Hope murmured. 

"You're a real mystery, you know." Sam's face suddenly lit up. "I've got it! Your name can be Mystery!"

"Huh?" Hope said in disbelief.

"Don't you like it?" Sam asked.

"I...guess so..." Hope replied, shrugging.

"Great! I can't wait for you to meet everyone else! Come on!" Sam grabbed Hope's wrist, dragging her behind him.

"Sam..." Hope murmured in her sleep. A tear ran down her face, her dream continuing. Even though she'd forgotten about her family, she never forgot Sam and his friends.

"Sam. Who is this?"

A girl with curly blonde hair and green eyes walked over to Sam and Hope. She wore a plain white dress, with the exception of a flower on the front. She looked to be about fourteen. Sam had taken Hope into a alleyway in Dahngrest, leading her into an entrance in an abandoned building.

"This is a girl I met on the streets," Sam replied. "She came from that orphanage east of here. Her name is Mystery. Mystery, this is Kate."

"Mystery?" Kate cocked her head. "What kind of name is that?" 

Hope lowered her gaze, shrinking under Kate's gaze.

"She can't remember her name, so I gave her one. You like it?" Sam asked proudly.

Kate rolled her eyes. "That is so you, Sam. Your naming sense needs to be worked on. Anyway, we should take this girl to the others."

Kate led Hope into another room, Sam following them. Inside were about twenty others. They all looked up when Kate brought Hope in.

"Hey Kate, who do you have there?" A boy looking to be eleven piped up. He had black hair and blue eyes.

"Our naming genius here named her Mystery, Jake," Kate replied, glaring at Sam.

"What a weird name to stick her with, Sam," a girl with red hair tied up in a ponytail said, narrowing her brown eyes. Hope looked away.

"Look, Hannah, you hurt her feelings!" Jake exclaimed. Hannah walked over to the boy and punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

"He's got a point, though," a brown haired boy seeming to be about ten said. The others chimed in their agreements.

"Sam..." Hope murmured. "Everybody thinks the name you gave me is weird. Can you give me another?"

"I really can't think of another. Sorry," Sam replied, scratching the back of his head. 

"Why not just shorten it?" Kate suggested. "Her name could be Mist."

"That sounds better," Hannah said. 

"Yeah," the brown haired boy agreed. Everyone else nodded.

"So you're an orphan, huh?" Kate asked. Hope nodded. "Well then, Mist, this is your new home and we'll be your new family!"  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Months passed, then those months turned into years. Before long, Hope was fifteen. Kate, who was now twenty, and Sam, who was eighteen, snuck into the storage facility for Heliord's Fortune's Market. Meanwhile, others in the group were performing raids in other towns.

"Hush!" Kate hissed when Sam yelped after banging his knee on a crate. "Do you want to bring the entire guild on us?!"

"Man, Sam, you are so noisy when you put your mind to it," Hope snickered.

"Oh, can it, Mist!" Sam hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "You're not much better!"

"Will you two stop fighting?!" Kate whispered. "We need these supplies. Sam, go find where the food is."

"Yes ma'am," Sam grumbled, heading over to one corner of the room.

"Mist, see what's over there," Kate ordered, pointing to the other corner. Crates were bound together, a padlock holding them shut.

"No problem," Hope replied, going over to the designated are. Kate started shifting through some of the shelves in the room.

Hope picked one of the locks and carefully took off the chains holding the crates. She lifted up one of the lids, surprised by what she found.

"Hey, Kate," Hope whispered across the room. Kate looked up from some documents she was sorting through.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This crate's full of bohdi blastia!"

"What?!" Kate was able to catch herself in time to keep her voice down. She hurried over, Sam following.

"No way!" Sam whispered, staring in awe in the crate.

"They must be for the Knights," Kate said. 

"Think they would miss a few?" Hope asked with a devilish grin. Kate mirrored Hope's expression.

"Why not?"

The three each grabbed their own blastia, putting it on their wrists.

"Maybe we should bring some more for the others," Sam suggested. "After all, how often do you find bohdi blastia just sitting here?"

"Good point," Kate agreed, grabbing enough for the others and putting them in her bag. "There. That should make everyone happy."

"There are weapons here, too," Hope whispered, pointing to a storage shelf where weapons were resting.

"I wouldn't mind having something to defend myself," Kate said, picking up a rapier and a shield. Sam chose a bow and a set of arrows for himself and Hope picked up a sword.

"Nice find," Sam said.

"Why?" Hope asked.

"That sword's a Last Fencer, the most expensive weapon on the market," Kate explained. "Pretty powerfull, too."

"Thanks," Hope replied. After grabbing a few more supplies, including medical and food, they made their way out of the storage facility.

"Let's go home," Kate said. However, running footsteps were fast approaching them. 

"Hey! Hold it right there, you theives!" It was a group of Knights, their swords unsheathed.

"Dammit!" Sam exclaimed. "Let's make a run for it!" 

"The exit to the forest it just over there!" Hope said. "We should be able to lose them there."

The three took off, crossing the bridge and heading into the woods, the Knights hot on their trail.

"We're not losing them!" Sam shouted, his eyes wide when he stole a glance over his shoulder. "What do we do?!"

Kate tossed Sam the bag with the stolen supplies. "You two keep going. I'll keep them busy!"

"No! You can't!" Hope exclaimed. Kate smiled at her, though there was saddness in her eyes.

"Sorry. It's up to the both of you to make it back." With that, Kate halted and turned around, readying her rapier. "Come and get some, you bastards!" she shouted at the Knights.

"No! Kate!" Hope stopped, but Sam grabbed her wrist, half dragging her along. Hope hears the clash of metal and she looked behind her, seeing Kate fighting the Knights. However, one blocked one of her attacked, knocking the rapier out of her hand. At the same time, another Knight ran her through with his sword. Kate crumpled lifelessly to the ground and tears welled up in Hope's eyes.

"No!" she screamed. 

"We must keep moving!" Sam insisted, though Hope saw tears streaming down his face. "We can't let her death be in vain..."  
\--------------------------------------------------------

The two made it back to their hideout in Dahngrest, everyone else already done with their raids. The brown haired boy, Ralph, now sixteen, approached Sam and Hope, whose eyes were red from their tears. 

"Wh-where's Kate?" he asked, afraid of what the answer will be. By now, everyone was aware something had happened and they crowded in front of Sam and Hope.

"She... she died so that we could escape..." Sam managed to choke out. Hope squeezed her eyes shut, trying to prevent more tears from spilling, but failing.

Silence hung in the air as Sam's words took their time to sink into everyone else.

"Kate's... dead?" Hannah asked, eyes wide. She stumbled back a few steps, only to be caught by Kiki, a nineteen year old girl with golden eyes and her blue hair tied in a braid.

Almost at once, sobbing and screaming broke out in the group. Some were crying uncontrollably while a few were to shocked to do anything but stand wide-eyed.

"Here are the supplies we obtained," Sam said, his voiced drained of all emotion. "Use it wisely; it's the last batch that Kate will have ever taken."

He set the bag down and the supplies were evenly distributed among everyone. That night, a vigil was held in Kate's memory, everyone staying up half the night in complete silence. 

The next morning, Sam and Hope were on the balcony of the upper floor of the building.

"I still can't believe Kate's dead," Same said.

"Me neither," Hope agreed. "It just feels so empty without her."

"Kate was the one who formed our group in the first place," Sam continued. "She found victims of the Great War in Dahngrest and led them here, saying that if they all stuck together, they would survive. I was one of the first people she found."

"I see," Hope murmured.

"You see, I've always wanted to be a Knight, despite living in Dahngrest. But after what happened, I'm not so sure. Dammit!" Sam turned around and punched the wall, tears running down his face. "Why the hell did she have to die?!"

Hope walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. For a few moments, they stood there. Finally, Hope released him and Sam turned to her. Without warning, he pulled Hope in, pressing his lips to hers. Hope stiffened at first, but then relaxed, returning the kiss. They broke apart, Sam blushing.

"S-sorry!" he exclaimed. Hope smiled.

"It's okay," Hope replied. 

"Mist, I've always wanted to tell you that I- -"

Sam was cut off when screams sounded. Angry shouts followed.

"What the hell's going on?!" Hope exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Sam said.

They ran downstairs and halted at the sight that awaited them. Blood splattered the walls, it's stench heavy in the air. Bodies of their comrades littered the ground. Slaughtering the rest were mercenaries of Fortune's Market.

"No..." Hope gasped.

"Those assholes followed us all the way here?!" Sam growled. One man cut down Hannah, who had made a run for the exit, her body collapsing on top of Ralph's.

"Everyone's dead..." Hope choked out.

"Not everyone. We're still alive and I'm not gonna let them get away with this!" With that, Sam took out his bow and readied and arrow, shooting one mercenary in a vital area and killing him. This got the attention of the rest.

"Kill them!" One shouted.

"Mist, get out of here!" Sam shouted as he killed another, shoving Hope toward the exit. "You need to live!"

"But you'll...!" Hope cried out.

"I can't bear the thought of you dead!" Sam replied. "I love you too much to allow that!"

By now, Sam had taken out about half of the mercenaries. Hope, shocked at Sam's confession, didn't see one of the men lunge at her.

Blood splattered the ground and Hope's eyes widened. Sam had thrown himself in between the man and Hope, the sword going through his chest. At the same time, Sam killed the man by stabbing his throat with a dagger he kept hidden.

"No! Sam!" Hope screamed, grabbing the boy as he fell back. The remaining men charged and rage filled Hope, her blastia suddenly glowing with a fierce light. Red energy erupted from the ground, taking the form of a high dragon. The mercenaries screamed as the dragon released an energy beam from her mouth, killing the rest of the men.

Hope coughed up a bit of blood from exertion and the high dragon vanished.

"Sam..." Hope choked out, cradling his body and she sat on the blood-stained floor. Sam shifted his eyes to her. They had already begun to glaze over.

"Mist... you need to... get out of the city..." Sam managed to say, blood staining his lips. 

"I just want you to know that I love you too!" Hope cried. 

"I... want you to...be happy..." Sam's voice was getting quieter. "Find...another...who will...make you...happy..."

With those last words, Sam's eyes closed, his head falling back. 

"No...you can't be gone..." Hope sobbed. "SAM!"  
\------------------------------------------------

Hope woke up, tears already staining her face. She glanced up at the moon, closing her eyes, calling back up the image of her first love.

"Sam..." she whispered. "I'm happy now. I've found another to love. However, I will never stop loving you as well."


	10. The One Hiding in the Shadows

The next morning, Hope was woken by a prodding at her side. Instinct kicked in and she grabbed the person's wrist tightly.

"H-hey! It's just me!"

Hope's eyes shot open and she let the person go, sitting up. "Sorry, Shu. You ought to know better than to try that with me."

"No kidding..." Shu grumbled, rubbing his wrist. "The others are already awake. We've been waiting for you to wake up, too. You stay up late last night, or something?"

"More or less," Hope replied. She looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Like I said, we've been waiting for you to wake up," Shu explained. "They got impatient and decided to continue the search on their own."

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" Hope demanded, startling the black haired boy.

"Whoa! This is precisely the reason why!" Shu replied indignantly.

"Whatever. I just want to find Flynn as soon as possible," Hope said, standing up and grabbing her equipment.

"What about Yuri?" Shu asked.

"Oh. I guess him too," Hope replied.

"Wow, what a show of concern for him," Shu mumbled, sweatdropping.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough sarcasm. Let's just get going."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Owww..." Yuri groaned, sitting up from where he was sleeping. The injuries from the day before were starting to catch up to him. Even though Danel had been able to heal most of them, he was still sore from head to toe. He saw that Flynn was still asleep.

Yuri was about to shake the Knight awake, but then an idea popped into his head. He figured he didn't want to pass up the chance, especially since Hope wouldn't be here to witness it. Yuri grabbed his canteen from his bag and opened it. Then he turned to Flynn and dumped the water on his head, making the blonde sputter and sit upright in an instant.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Yuri smirked. Flynn shot the man a glare.

"What was that for?!"

"Just wanted to have some fun with you is all."

"You'd better watch out, Yuri."

"Uh huh," Yuri replied, standing up. "We'd better set off now if we want to regroup with the others."

"I know," Flynn growled. "Just let me wring out my hair first."

"Hey, you snooze you lose," Yuri laughed.

"Yeah, laugh while you can. I'll get you back someday."

"Hey, did you hear that?" Yuri asked suddenly, hand reaching for his sword.

"If you're trying to frighten me, you'll have to try harder than that," Flynn replied.

"No, I'm serious," Yuri insisted. "I swear I just heard a branch snap."

"Probably just a monster," Flynn said.

"I dunno, Yuri said. "It almost feels like we're being watched."

"Whatever. I don't sense anything. It's probably just your imagination," Flynn replied, grabbing his things. "In any case, we'd better head out."

"Yeah...I guess so..." Yuri said, still uneasy. He could still feel it: a pair of eyes monitoring their every movement. He knew that whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

\-------------------------------------------------------  
"I'm getting tired, mira," Marumira said. She, Marutora, and Marumaro were riding on their Shadows as they searched.

"Yeah, me too, tora," Marutora agreed. "Marumaro, can't we take a break, tora?"

"Not until we find Yuri and Flynn, maro," Marumaro replied.

"Come now, Marumaro, can't you be a little more considerate?" Kraken asked. "These two are younger and keeping us out can wear them out easily."

"Besides, we've been searching for over an hour now. A short break should be in order," Cerberus added.

"Hold up," Saber-Tiger said, halting.

"Don't tell me you agree with them, too, maro!" Marumaro exclaimed indignantly.

"No. I smell something suspicious," Saber-Tiger replied. "There's something in this forest and I don't like it one bit."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yuri! Flynn!" Estelle shouted.

"Man, those two could be anywhere!" Rita groaned, scratching her head. "Why couldn't they have just stayed by the waterfall?"

"If they did that, they'd be exposed to monster attacks," Judith replied.

"That was a rhetorical question, just so you know," Rita said, sweatdropping. "Of course they'd find someplace safer."

"Do you think it's possible they're at Caer Bocram?" Estelle asked.

"Well, we have Karol, Raven, and Conrad searching there," Rita replied. "Hopefully that's where they are."

"That or they've been eaten by monsters," Judith added. The other two girls stared at the Krityan.

"Gee, as if there wasn't already a looming sense of dread," Rita mumbled.

"I know that something like that wouldn't happen to them!" Estelle insisted.

"But don't you feel that?" Judith asked.

"Feel what?" the other two asked.

"It's like some kind of sinister presence in the forest. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not normal," Judith replied. "We should keep our guard up at all times. There's no telling what might be lurking in the trees."  
\---------------------------------------------------

"Hey! Jiro, wait for me!" Bouquet exclaimed, racing after the swordsman.

"If you would quit jumping at every little sound, you could keep up just fine," Jiro retorted.

"But there are monsters everywhere!" Bouquet insisted. "Wait, are you just grumpy because you couldn't go with Kluke?"

This made Jiro stop abruptly, his face going red. He spun around to face the black haired girl. "Wh-what the hell are you talking about?!"

A smug grin appeared across Bouquet's lips. "I knew it."

"What are you saying?!" Jiro demanded, storming up to her.

"You have a thing for Kluke, don't you?" Bouquet cooed.

"Now that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Jiro growled. "What could possibly give you that idea?!"

"Don't try to deny it," Bouquet replied, walking past him. "I can see it in your face every time you look at her." She turned around, facing Jiro again. "Too bad Andropov already has her taken."

"I couldn't care less!" Birds fluttered from the trees as Jiro raised his voice. "If she's happy with Andropov, then so be it!"

"Suuure," Bouquet said, turning around and walking away. "Whatever you say."

"That girl is unbelievable..." Jiro grumbled, following. A sudden chill ran down his spine and Jiro halted for a second then continued walking. It was probably just his imagination, but a sense of danger had just passed through him.

\-----------------------------------------------  
"We've searched here already!" Patty exclaimed. "What's the point of coming here again?"

She, Kluke, and Andropov were checking out the area around the waterfall that Yuri and Flynn fell from.

"Because there could be clues as to where they went," Kluke replied.

"Which we would have discovered by now but we haven't," Patty grumbled.

"Look, why can't you just shut up for once?!" Andropov exclaimed. "You're really starting to get on my nerves!"

"Hey! Don't talk to me like that! I'm older than you!" Patty retorted, crossing her arms.

"Will the both of you stop fighting?!" Kluke demanded. "Both of you are getting on my nerves!"

"He started it!" Patty replied indignantly, pointing at the silver haired boy.

"Grow up!" Andropov growled.

"Enough! Let's head back to the others," Kluke said.

"Already?" Andropov asked. Kluke nodded.

"Yeah. Something feels wrong. We should get out of here."  
\----------------------------------------------------

"I dunno 'bout the two of you, but I'm not seein' anythin' but ruins, ruins, an' more ruins," Raven said, hands behind his head as he, Karol, and Conrad explored Caer Bocram.

"There is a possibility they aren't here after all," Conrad agreed.

"I know, but this seems like it would be the most logical place for them to hide out," Karol said.

"An' they probably wouldn't go too far in either," Raven said. "They're probably still somewhere in the forest."

"If only the trees weren't so thick," Karol murmured. "Then we'd be able to find Yuri and Flynn by riding on Ba'ul."

"I think we should wrap up our search here as soon as possible and regroup with the others," Conrad said. "There's a strange feeling in the air."

"You feelin' it, too? Thought it was jus' me goin' crazy," Raven said.

"In any case, they don't seem to be here," Karol said. "So we should head back."

\-----------------------------------------------  
Yuri and Flynn trekked through the forest, though Yuri noticed that Flynn was having difficulties walking as well.

"Injuries bothering you?" Yuri asked.

"Don't worry. It's nothing," Flynn replied.

"Right, 'nothing'. I can tell you're in pain too. You can stop acting so tough. Your wife ain't here after all," Yuri pointed out.

"Whatever," Flynn said.

"You seriously can't feel anything watching us?" Yuri asked.

"For the millionth time, no!" Flynn snapped. "It's just your imagination! We haven't even run into any monsters yet."

"That's what's worrying me," Yuri said, his face serious. Flynn stopped and stared at the swordsman.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Think about it: This area's famous for it's large population and diversity of monsters as well as how aggressive they are. And yet we haven't seen even one. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem strange," Flynn agreed, looking around. "Wonder what's going on."

"I think we're about to find out," Yuri said, going into a battle stance and taking his sword out. The nearby bushes rustled. "Get ready! Something's here!"  
\--------------------------

"Look Hope, I think we should head back now," Shu said. "We've been out here searching half the day. We should see if the others had any luck."

"You're right," Hope sighed. The two went back to their camp. The others had already gotten back, but everyone came up with nothing.

"Not a single sign of them," Kluke murmured sadly.

"They could be anywhere," Rita added. "It'll be hard to find them in a forest this huge and dense."

"And I have a bad feeling about this area, too," Conrad said.

"You have the same feeling?" Jiro asked. "I thought I was just imagining things."

"No, it's not your imagination, maro," Marumaro said. "Saber-Tiger said he smelled something in the forest, something dangerous, maro!"

"I agree," Judith said seriously. "Something in this forest seems to not want us here."

"Could it be an Entelexeia?" Bouquet asked.

"I don't know," Judith admitted.

"Hey, did anyone else just hear that?" Karol asked nervously.

"Yup, I sure did," Hope replied, taking her sword out. A twig snapped, getting everyone's attention. "Something's here!"

\----------------------------------------------------  
"Just great!" Yuri growled. Before the two stood a large rhino-like monster, it's red eyes boring into them.

"I've never seen a monster like that before," Flynn said, taking his sword out.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you're an Entelexeia, am I right?" Yuri smirked at the creature.

"You're a sharp one," the rhino said. "Indeed, I am an Entelexeia. My name is Allon. And it is my understanding that you took out that old traitor Fusrodah, correct?"

"That's right," Flynn replied.

"And I would assume you serve under Jennuir," Yuri added.

"Once again, you are correct. Even though the tiger was old, he was still formidable. For you two to take him down alone shows that you have strength that could prove a threat to us," Allon said.

"Sorry to disappoit, but we weren't alone," Yuri said. "We just got seperated from our friends is all."

"I assume you're not just going to let us go?" Flynn asked, shifting into a fighting stance.

Allon chuckled. "You guessed correctly. By the order of Son Goku, I'm afraid the two of you will have to die."

'This is just great,' Yuri thought. 'Flynn and I are in no shape to be fighting, much less fighting an Entelexeia. If we don't get help, both of us are so screwed.'

"Yuri, we can do this," Flynn said, as if reading Yuri's mind. The Knight smirked. "It's just one monster, after all."

Yuri sighed. "Just don't end up getting killed."

"Right back at you, Yuri," Flynn replied.

Allon rolled up, spinning quickly at the two, his spines ripping up the earth. Yuri and Flynn leaped out of the way just as the Entelexeia slammed into the trees behind them. However, Allon turned around, charging at Yuri, who had just landed.

"Demonic Chaos!" Flynn shouted, the arte managing to throw Allon off-course enough to avoid Yuri.

"Thanks, Flynn!" Yuri said, charging at the Entelexeia.

"Just don't get cocky!" Flynn warned, following Yuri. Allon unrolled himself, facing his two attackers. He stood up on his hind legs and slammed his forelegs back down, the earth shaking, throwing Yuri and Flynn off-balance.

"Damn!" Yuri spat as he fell back. Allon charged at the two again, horn lowered. Flynn recovered first, grabbing Yuri and dragging him out of the way just as Allon dashed past them.

"Talk about a close call," Flynn panted. He grimaced, his injuries from before acting up again.

"With the way we are, we don't stand a chance against this thing," Yuri said. "Where the hell are the others when we need them?!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Hey, that's...!" Bouquet gasped. Jiro went for his sword, going into a fighting stance.

"Wait, you guys know who this is?" Mist asked.

"Well, I would hope so."

"Hope so! Hope so!"

Standing before the group was a blue-eyed woman with long lavender hair. Floating next to her was a small green creature. It wore a red shirt and was in a metal device that allowed it to float.

"It's Delphinum and Deathroy," Andropov answered Hope. "She used to work for a man named Nene, but now she just wanders wherever."

"I was wondering when we'd run into you," Kluke said.

"Can she be trusted?" Rita asked.

"You could trust her just as much as you would trust a viper," Jiro growled, pulling his sword out.

"Come now, Jiro. Are we really going to start this again?" Delphinium asked with a smirk. "We haven't seen each other in a while, after all."

"After all! After all!" Deathroy parroted.

"Why are you here?!" Shu demanded.

"What's wrong with me going for a forest stroll?" Delphinium replied innocently. She smirked again. "I honestly never expected to see you guys here, though. And it looks like you made some more friends."

"Somehow I highly doubt you were 'out for a forest stroll,'" Kluke said warily.

"Since all of you are here too, I may as well tell you," Delphinum said.

"Tell you! Tell you!"

"Tell us what?" Hope asked, narrowing her eyes.

"There were two rather large creatures here in the forest just the other day," Delphinium replied. "They had a very sinister air about them. Almost enough to give even me the goosebumps."

"Could they be Entelexeia?" Estelle whispered to Judith. The Krityan had a thoughtful look on her face, but didn't reply.

"And where are they now?" Karol asked. Delphinium opened her mouth, but a large explosion cut off whatever she was going to say. Everyone's eyes turned to the southern part of the forest, where smoke was billowing.

"I'd assume over there," Delphinium said. "Well, I'm not about to get involved with that. I'll see you all again some other time." A blue aura surrounded her and her Shadow, Chimera appeared under her, lifting the woman into the air and flying away.

"What's the deal with her?" Hope asked.

"That's what all of us are wondering, too," Shu replied. "But we'd better check out that explosion."

\--------------------------------------------------  
"Hey, Flynn. You alright?" Yuri asked, slowly getting to his feet. He'd just managed to avoid the energy beam Allon fired at them, causing a large explosion. Yuri coughed as he breathed in some of the smoke created by it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a couple of scrapes," Flynn replied. He was on the other side of the energy beam's path from where Yuri was. "But we've yet to injure that thing."

"I'm not done yet!" Allon's voice boomed. "Ground Dasher!"

The earth beneath the two men spiked up, knocking the two back. Allon rolled up, spinning at the closest one, Yuri.

"Yuri! Watch out!" Flynn shouted. However, Yuri was unable to react in time and Allon slammed into him, sending the swordsman flying.

Yuri hit a tree, slumping up against it, unconscious and blood running down his mouth. Allon stood on his hind legs, towering over Yuri, one clawed paw raised to deal the finishing blow. However, Flynn got in the way just as Allon slammed it down, the blonde using his sword to hold Allon's paw back. Flynn gritted his teeth, the Entelexeia overpowering him as his previous injuries protested against the strain being forced on him. Before he knew it, Allon's paw forced his sword down, his claws raking the Knight's shoulder, the grass below being stained crimson as Flynn fell back with a pained scream, landing next to Yuri.

Flynn saw Allon open his mouth, charging another energy beam. However, before the Entelexeia could fire it, a large purple ball with golden lines and electricity flying from the surface slammed into the rhino, canceling his attack and making him fall onto his side. The purple sphere vanished, revealing the spirit Volt.

"Now, Octavia!" Volt shouted. Flynn was aware of careful limbs scooping him and Yuri up. His vision began to darken from the intense pain in his shoulder. The last thing he remembered was being laid on a broad, white surface before he lost consciousness.  
\---------------------------------------------------------

Volt turned his head, seeing the Entelexeia, Octavia, carry the two men away. A grunt made him face Allon once again. The Entelexeia struggled to get back on his feet, shaking his head to clear the dizziness.

"Who are you?" Allon asked. "I can tell just by looking at you that you are not an Entelexeia. However, there is an air about you that suggests one."

"I was once the Entelexeia known as Krysis. However, I have been reborn as the spirit of lightning, Volt," Volt replied.

"I assume that your friend a little bit ago is a follower of Alrodoh, am I right?" Allon asked.

"As was I," Volt replied.

Allon smirked. "It doesn't matter what you are now. If you follow that fool Alrodoh, then you shall die!"

Volt shook his head, chuckling. "I'm afraid that I am not here to fight you. Only to distract you from those two."

"You don't mean..." Allon growled.

"Farewell." With, that, Volt vanished, leaving a furious Allon behind.

"You coward!" Allon roared. "Come back here and fight me!"  
\------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you think that Yuri and Flynn were where the explosion was?" Shu asked Hope.

"If they are, I only pray they weren't caught in it," Hope replied, her face grim. It would be a relief to find those two at last, but not in this situation."

"Something's coming!" Judith warned. Before anyone could react, a large white spider appeared from the bushes in front of the group. Golden spikes adorned the top of its abdomen and large spines grew from each joint in its legs. A white beard tipped with blue sprouted from each side of its head, as well as thick orange fur growing on its thorax. However, the only thing everyone noticed were the two people it was carrying.

"Yuri! Flynn!" Estelle exclaimed.

"Let them go!" Shu growled, beginning to summon Blue Dragon, but Judith stopped him.

"Don't. She means no harm."

The spider nodded. "Indeed," she said. "It is as your friend says. I am the Entelexeia known as Octavia. Your two friends were being attacked by a follower of Jennuir, Allon. Volt was able to distract him long enough for me to take these two away."

"Let me heal them!" Estelle exclaimed, running up to Octavia. The Entelexeia nodded, reaching up with one pair of limbs and gently setting the two men onto the ground, Estelle immeadiately using her healing artes on them.

"Thank you for saving them," Hope said to Octavia. The spider nodded.

"Of course. It was the least I could do for those who wish to help us against Jennuir."

"How did you know we were planning on resisting Jennuir?" Rita asked.

"Word spreads fast, although I suppose you could thank your friend Ba'ul for telling us," Octavia said. "Many of us are gathering to prepare an army to fight Jennuir's."

"In other words..." Hope murmured.

"We're lookin' at the second Great War," Raven finished.


	11. The War Begins

After Octavia had left, Judith called Ba'ul, the massive Entelexeia lowering the ship to pick up the group. Yuri and Flynn had regained consciousness, much to Hope, Estelle, and Patty's delight. Patty clung onto the swordsman, despite his protests and attempts to pry the young pirate off.

"Shouldn't we head for the capital first? See how things are going?" Hope asked.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Flynn replied.

"That reminds me, I ought to pick up Repede too. I know he'll wanna get involved in this," Yuri added. Ever since Repede had defeated Little Wolf over half a year ago, the warrior dog had taken up duties in leading the dogs and cats of the capital, spending far less time than normal with everyone else. It was clear Repede took great pride in his position as Big Boss.

"Then it's settled. Ba'ul!" Judith called up to her friend. The dragon howled a reply, heading southeast for Zaphias.

Once the group arrived, however, there was a lot of commotion. Knights were racing through the streets toward the capital. Flynn stopped one of the Knights.

"What is going on?" he demanded. The Knight instantly saluted.

"Sir! The Council has ordered all Knights to prepare for an invasion on Dahngrest," the Knight reported.

"WHAT?!" was the response of everyone in the party.

"The Council has no right, nor the authority, to do such a thing!" Hope growled.

"We all know the Council has been itching for a fight with the Union, but this isn't the right time, especially with the whole Jennuir problem," Yuri agreed.

"What is the reason for the Council's decision for the attack on the Union?" Flynn asked the Knight.

"We've received a report that the Union has allied itself with the kingdoms of the other world in an effort to overthrown the Empire and seize control. We believe that the kingdoms were offered a share of the Empire's lands," the Knight replied.

"And what proof does the Council have to back up this claim?!" Hope demanded, storming up to the Knight, making him back up a few steps.

"All I've really heard was that Deidon Hold was attacked suddenly and without warning, the walls breached and the town destroyed," the Knight said.

"Deidon Hold was destroyed?!" Flynn exclaimed. "I still don't see how the Council was able to link this to the Union." Flynn looked over his shoulder to the rest of the group. "I'm going to have a word with the Council. The rest of you wait here. Hope, you're coming with me."

"Got it," Hope replied, her face serious.

"Give 'em hell, Flynn," Yuri said.  
\----------------------------------------

The Council was in the middle of a discussion with Emperor Ioder when the Commandant stormed into the room, followed by his second-in-command.

"Ah, Commandant Flynn and Mist. How nice to see you two," the head councilman greeted.

"It's Hope now," Hope said.

"Councilman Edward, I would like to discuss your decision to declare war on the Union," Flynn said. "Why would you do something like this without first investigating the matter further or at least informing me. The last time I checked, the Council was not in charge of the Knights. I am."

"Why you insolent boy!" one councilman exclaimed. "You may be Commandant, but there's still no changing the fact that you're a lowely dog from the Lower Quarter! And the fact that your wife is a street urchin not even from these parts."

"Come down here and say that again!" Hope shouted, her face twisted in pure fury. Flynn put out a hand in front of her in order to stop her from charging at the man.

"Calm down," Flynn whispered to her. "As much as I hate to do it too, we can't do anything to them, despite what they say to us. They hold more power than us."

"Tch!" Hope spat.

"To answer your question, Commandant, we do have sufficient evidence," Counsilman Edward said. "The attack on Deidon hold was swift and happened without warning. The town was gone in mere seconds, thanks to an explosion. Because of the loss of blastia, neither we nor the guilds possess the kind of technology to cause that scale of destruction. That only leads us to believe that this was the work of the other world."

"Even if that was true, how would that point to the guilds' involvement in all of this?!" Flynn demanded.

"Quite simple. We know of no reason the other world's kingdoms would hold any type of grudge against us. However, the guilds do. They could have made a deal with them and are trying to take over the Union," Edward replied matter-of-factly.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life!" Hope exclaimed. "There's a strong possibility that the Entelexeia were the ones responsible!"

"The Entelexeia?" Ioder echoed.

"As far as you've had us believe, the Entelexeia are benevolent beings who try not to get involved in the affairs of humans," Edward said. "Are you telling us you lied before?"

"That's not what we're saying!" Flynn replied. "These Entelexeia are ones from an ancient civilization who once ruled the world but were put into a state of hibernation by another group of Entelexeia. We have reason to believe that the Entelexeia put to sleep are now awake and trying to take over once again."

"Please! You've got to listen to us!" Hope pleaded. Counsilman Edward shook his head.

"We couldn't stop the battle now even if we wanted to. The first battle squadron has already been dispatched and are probably on the continent of Tolbyccia by now, with the second and third close behind."

"Dammit!" Flynn spat.

"We were too late..." Hope murmured.

\-----------------------------------------------  
"Those two sure are taking their time," Jiro commented, looking at the castle. The group was in the Public Quarter, waiting for Flynn and Hope to return. Repede, who had joined up with the group, was laying down at Yuri's feet, the latter scratching the dog behind his ears.

"Well, the Counsil'll be one tough nut ta crack," Raven replied, hands behind his head and leaning up against the wall of the item shop. "We just gotta wait patiently for 'em ta come back."

"I'm hungry, maro," Marumaro piped up.

"Me too, tora," Marutora nodded.

"Me three, mira," Marumira added.

"Again? We just ate like five minutes ago," Kluke sighed.

"Seems like they're all stomach and nothing else," Yuri smirked.

"Seriously, we're not made of gald, just so you three know," Rita huffed.

"Sure wish we were," Raven muttered.

"Anyway, I hope those two are doing all right in there," Shu said.

"Hey! Here they come now!" Patty exclaimed, pointing to the stairs leading up to the Noble Quarter. Everyone turned in that direction, seeing Flynn and Hope walking toward them. However, neither of them looked happy.

"What's wrong?" Estelle asked when the two reached the group. Repede got up, padding over to Flynn and whining, head cocked to the side. Flynn gave a small smile and rubbed the dog's head.

"We were too late to stop the Knights from heading to Dahngrest," Hope replied grimly. "And the Counsil wouldn't believe one word we said."

"Hey! Look!" Shu exclaimed, pointing behind the two Knights. Dr. Tarkovsky, Purimura, Legolas, and the surviving soldiers and citizens from Nirvana were heading toward them.

"Oh yeah, and they also kicked them out too," Hope sighed. "After all, the Counsil doesn't want to support the 'enemy' anymore. Rita, do you think Aspio will take them in for the time being?"

"I dunno. After all, Aspio is under the Empire's control," Rita replied, shrugging.

"Don't worry," Dr. Tarkovsky said. "We can ask our allies to take us in. I assure you that none of the kingdoms would deign to attack your country."

"It's okay. We believe you," Flynn assured him. "We're possitive that this is the work of Jennuir's followers. Have a safe trip."

"Same to you. Stay safe," Dr. Tarkovsky replied. Conrad went forward, facing the group.

"I will help to escort everyone to somewhere safe," he said. "This is goodbye for now."

"Yeah. See you later, Conrad," Shu replied. The Knight Master nodded and the group of Nirvana refugees headed for the exit out of Zaphias.

"I hope they'll be alright..." Estelle murmured, folding her hands together.

"Knowing Conrad, he'll keep everyone safe," Kluke assured the princess.

"Anyway, it sounds like we have our own problems to worry about," Andropov said.

"Yeah, and that's finding a way to stop this war," Yuri said.

"We could try talking to Harry," Hope suggested.

"That's a good idea, but I dunno how welcome you two will be," Raven said, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "The Union's probably gettin' prepared fer war, an' it won't look too good if two Knights just go waltzin' in their home turf."

"Couldn't they just stay in the ship?" Bouquet asked.

"I think it would be best if just Brave Vesperia go in. You too, Raven. We need your position as a memeber of Altosk to speak with Harry," Karol said.

"Suit yerself," Raven replied, his hand going behind his head.

"So the rest of us'll just wait in the ship, then?" Rita asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry, we won't try to take too long," Yuri replied.

"I just hope we aren't too late on that end as well," Flynn murmured.  
\-----------------------------------------------

Ba'ul landed at the entrance to Dahngrest, dropping Yuri, Judith, Karol, Raven, and Repede off. At Judith's command, Ba'ul took everyone else to a spot in between Heliord and Dahngrest, just in case the Knights came through. With any luck, they could stall them long enough to give Brave Vesperia time to ask Harry to convince the Knights that they weren't involved in the attack.

Yuri and the rest of the guild went into the Union HQ. They were met by a rough looking bald man with numerous battle scars on his body. Straps holding a large sword crisscrossed his bare chest. His brown beard was rough and tangled. A blonde haired woman with piercing green eyes was with him. The only thing marring her pretty face was a long scar on her left cheek. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, the hair tie having a rose on it. A rapier was hanging from her side.

"Hey Caius and Katrina!" Yuri greeted. Caius narrowed his eyes and Katrina huffed.

"What do you guys want this time, Lowell?" Katrina asked.

"W-we want to talk to Harry Whitehore, please," Karol stammered, intimidated by the two.

"He's busy right now. Preparing for war against your friends in the Empire," Caius grunted, smirking. "Sounds like it's gonna be a bloodbath out there."

"Sounds like you can't wait to tear some Knights limb from limb," Yuri sighed, one hand on his hip.

"I can't wait to get back at those bastards," Katrina said. "Because they- -"

"Because they ruined yer pretty little face," Raven interrupted, making the woman glare at the older man. "We've heard this story a thousand times already."

"And you're still pissy because the only man who thought you were still beautiful is this hulking brute here," Yuri said, gesturing to Caius. The man's nostrals flared and he stomped over to Yuri, towering over the dark-haired man.

"You wanna go, punk?" he growled.

"Sure, sure. First things first, I would suggest some serious mouthwash beforehand. Your breath's killing off the flies here," Yuri smirked.

Karol was sweating profusely. "Um...Y-Yuri...I-I wouldn't go p-picking a f-fight with him..."

Judith pulled Yuri back, standing in front of Caius. "Look, you two can beat each other to a bloody pulp some other time. Right now, it's imperitive that we meet with Harry right away."

"We already told you that he's busy," Katrina said.

"Not anymore." Everyone turned, seeing Harry walking toward the group. "I assume you want to talk to me about the war, am I correct?"

"That's right," Raven said.

"Well, you know the city Gladsheim[1], right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Yuri asked.

"It was destroyed in an instant," Caius growled. "And we know it was because of the Empire! Those mages probably already found a way to create new weapons of destruction. And we're betting that they're being assisted by those kingdoms of the other world as well. We have every right to fight back."

"Hold up. Deidon Hold was destroyed and the Council believes it ta be the work of you guys an' the other world," Raven said.

"We never did such a thing," Katrina said.

"And neither did the Empire attack Gladsheim," Yuri said.

"We believe this to be the work of ancient Entelexeia that once ruled this world and are now bent on ruling it again," Judith explained. "It's a long story, but the bottom line is that it's likely these attacks were by those Entelexeia, as they possess that kind of power."

This made Harry, Caius, and Katrina exchange looks with each other.

"It sounds very likely," Harry agreed. "I had the same thoughts."

"Then why are you getting ready for war?" Yuri demanded.

"I wasn't the one who ordered it. Brutus, one of Altosk's top officer's ordered it. He was close to my grandfather and the other guilds seem to be listening to him more than to me. I only heard about all this after he sent out the battle party," Harry replied, his gaze shifting to the floor.

"You mean that men have already been sent out?!" Raven exclaimed. Before any of the thre could reply, a guildman entered the Union HQ, dashing up to Harry, out of breath.

"Th-there's... a problem..." the guildman panted. "An... an army... from the other world... has shown up... to the battleground..."

"What?!" all the others exclaimed.

"It... it seems that... that they believe both... the Union and the Empire... are responsible for an attack against them..."

"Just great. Everyone's getting involved in this," Yuri growled. "Dammit, this is not funny!"

"We need to stop this fast!" Karol exclaimed. Judith had a hand to her head.

"Ba'ul says that the fighting has already started. Everyone on the ship is trying to stop it the best they can. I'll have Ba'ul pick us up."

"I'll come with you," Harry said. "Caius, Katrina. Have the remaining guilds defend the town."

"Yes, sir!" the two replied, running off.

"Good," Yuri said. "Let's get moving!"  
\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Dammit! Everyone just stop fighting!" Hope shouted, but no one seemed to hear her.

"This won't work," Flynn said grimly.

"Not only is it the Empire and the Union fighting, but also the kingdoms from the other world," Rita grumbled.

"There has to be something we can do!" Shu exclaimed.

"What about Phoenix?" Jiro suggested.

"You mean try what we did when the White Guardians and Rosekstan fought?" Bouquet asked.

"But there are a lot more people," Andropoc protested. "And Kluke wasn't able to hold out for long then. We can forget about teleporting this many people away."

"If it brings down the casualties even a little, I want to help," Kluke said, determination set in her face.

"Kluke..." Andropov murmured. Then he nodded. "Okay. Just please don't push yourself too hard."

"Saber-Tiger!" Marumaro called out, summoning his Shadow. Bouquet summoned Hippo, the two merging to give Saber-Tiger armor and higher speed. Kluke and Marumaro hopped onto Saber-Tiger's back and Andropov summoned his Shadow. As the Shadow searched out the areas with the most people, Marumira and Marutora ran over to Marumaro.

"Big Brother, we wanna help too, mira!" Marumira whined.

"We promise to be good, tora!" Marutora added.

"You guys can help us destroy the weapons being used," Shu said to the brother and sister. The two Devee looked at Shu, grinning.

"Okay!" they both exclaimed, summoning Cerberus and Kraken. Shu summoned Blue Dragon, he and Jiro hopping onto the Shadow's back and flew off, the two Devee going onto their Shadows and doing the same. Andropov already had Marumaro take Kluke off to a destination and the rest of the group headed off, trying to do the same thing as Shu, Jiro, Marutora, and Marumira were doing; destroying the weapons of war that were being used.

Hope and Flynn dashed over to where the ones leading the Knights were. Hopefully, they could still get the Knights to at least withdraw, even if the chances of that happening were close to zero now.

A group of guildsmen noticed them and chased after them, swords and bows drawn. Arrows were fired and they were able to dodge just in time, spinning around and drawing their swords.

"It's the Commandant!" one guildsman exclaimed. "If we kill him, the Knights will lose the one in command and turn into a bunch of spineless weaklings!"

"This ain't good..." Hope muttered.  
\---------------------------------------------

"Can't Ba'ul fly any faster?!" Yuri demanded.

"He's flying as fast as he can!" Judith snapped back, her patience worn thin.

"I'm just worried about the others," Yuri replied.

"We'll get there, you'll see," Raven assured him. "Have a little faith in them fer once."

"Hey! We're here!" Karol shouted. He was standing at the port side of the ship, peering over the edge at the fighting going on. A boom sounded close by and Karol jumped back. "They're firing at us!"

"They probably think we're the enemy. Ba'ul! Land us a safe distance from the fighting!" Judith called up. Ba'ul howled, changing his course away from the fighting. When he landed, Yuri was the first to get off, not bothering to use the ladder and instead leaping over the edge of the ship, landing hard on his feet and making him stagger a few steps forward. Judith did the same, landing much more gracefully while Karol, Raven, and Harry used the ladder on the side.

"You two are a couple of daredevils, you know?" Harry commented once he reached the ground.

"Look, the more time we waste, the more out of hand this battle gets. We have to hurry before there's no chance of stopping this," Yuri insisted, dashing off in the direction of the fighting. Judith shrugged, following him.

"Those two..." Karol muttered, sweatdropping.

"Looks like some people never change," Raven chuckled before his expression grew serious. "In any case, we need to hurry. Hopefully, we can at least get the guilds to stop fighting. Then we can convince the Knights."

"Sonds like the real problem will be the armies from the other world," Karol said. "They'll see us as the enemy since we're from Terca Lumires."

"Then we'll just hafta leave it ta the Shadow Wielders to handle them," Raven replied. "In any case, let's move out!"  
\----------------------------------------------------

Kluke was panting, having just gotten back from teleporting the sixth group of people fighting.

"Are you okay, Kluke?" Saber-Tiger asked.

"Yeah, you don't look too good, maro," Marumaro agreed, his face filled with concern for the girl. Kluke shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Kluke assured the Devee. However, she was sweating heavily, her face pale.

"Maybe we should take a break, maro," Marumaro suggested.

"No, I need to help save as many people as possible!" Kluke insisted.

"It won't do anyone any good if you pass out," Saber-Tiger pointed out.

"Yes, Kluke," Phoenix agreed. "You've reached your limit. You need to rest."

"But- -!" Kluke started to protest, but her Shadow cut her off.

"You've done all you can now. Just leave the rest to the others."

Kluke sighed. "You're right. I'll rest for a bit. Then we'll start again."  
\---------------------------------------------------------

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted, the energy beam from Blue Dragon destroying yet another cannon, this time from the kingdom of Subaru.

"There's just no end!" Jiro exclaimed, Minotaur having just finished using Conquer.

"We can still keep going as long as need be," Blue Dragon said.

"You say that, but you're looking worn out," Minotaur pointed out. Blue Dragon shot the Shadow a glare through narrowed scarlet eyes.

"Just who do you think you're calling weak?!" Blue Dragon demanded.

"I didn't call you weak!" Minotaur retorted. "I just said that you've probably reached your limit!"

"I haven't reached my- - ugh!" Blue Dragon slumped over, Shu going on one knee and panting hard.

"Told you," Minotaur grinned smugly.

"Enough Minotaur," Jiro said to his Shadow. "I don't want to face Blue Dragon's wrath as well."

"Suit yourself," Minotaur shrugged. Then he groaned, holding his side as Jiro went on one knee.

"Dammit! I've reached my limit, too," Jiro gritted out. He turned to the two Devee children. "Are you two doing alright?"

"I'm hungry, tora," Marutora whinned, rubbing his belly. Marumira nodded.

"Me too, mira."

"I'd say they're doing just fine," Shu chuckled.  
\------------------------------------------------

Yuri had just managed to successfully knock out three more people, dragging them off to a safe place.

"I highly doubt we can keep this up much longer," Yuri spat. Patty's eyes went wide.

"Oh no, Yuri! Are you alright?!"

"He's fine, you fangirl," Rita replied coldly. "He's been through rougher spots than this. Just help us out instead of worying about him all the time!"

"Hmph, fine! Variable Trigger!" Patty fired her pistols twice, hitting one soldier from the other world in the shoulder, stunning him long enough for Karol to knock him out with a swift hit to the back of the head with his bag.

"This sure is exhausting," Karol panted. "And no matter how I look at it, the number of people in this war seems endless."

Estelle had just finished using her healing artes on Yuri, relieving him of his fatigue. However, she collapsed to her knees, panting heavily. Rita and Judith ran over to the princess, crouching down beside her.

"Hey, you doing alright?" Rita asked, concern etched in her face.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard," Judith scolded softly. Another explosion rocked the battlefield and Estelle got back to her feet, wiping off some sweat on her forehead.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," Estelle assured them.

"Okay..." Rita said uncertainly.

"Just make sure you don't pass out in the middle of the battlefield," Judith added.

"Okay. Thanks, you two."

"Hey! Stop chattering you guys!" Karol shouted, smacking away another enemy with his hammer. "Help us out!"

"Ooh! Shut up, you brat!" Rita growled.

"Rita, dear. Remember yer blood pressure," Raven said, causing Rita to take out Anubis, whipping the scroll out and knocking the archer unconscious.

"Rita, how does knocking him out help us?!" Karol exclaimed.

"You got a problem?" Rita demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Uh-uh!" Karol stammered, backing away, totally scared.

"C'mon, you guys!" Yuri shouted. "Rita, wake the old man back up!"

"Fine!" Rita huffed, casting a water spell. "Splash!"  
\------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Hope. Are you doing okay?" Flynn asked, knocking out another guildman.

"You're one to talk," Hope panted, chuckling slightly. Both Knights had taken some damage, bleeding in a few spots, but not seriously hurt. "Looks like we'll never reach the division commander at this rate."

"Don't give up so easily," Flynn replied, blocking a sword. "We need to stop this war no matter what."

"Honestly, I think it's gotten to the point where a miracle will stop it," Hope muttered, taking down another enemy. A loud roar sounded and all the fighting seemed to stop. Flying over the war and landing on the cliff overlooking the battlefield was a gigantic black dragon. Four bright red eyes surveyed the war, large wings folding against the sides of it's massive body. Spines stuck out all over it's body: down the back, at the shoulders of its forearms and wings, at its elbows and knees, and along the bridge of its nose. A pure black beard hung down from its chin, tipped with dark red.

"Hey, isn't that...?" Flynn started, but Hope finished for him.

"It's Jennuir!"  
\------------------------------------------------------

"Jennuir!" Judith gasped.

"What is that thing?!" Patty exclaimed, clinging onto Yuri, much to the older man's dissatisfaction.

"He's the leader of the Entelexeia we're up against," Rita answered.

"We've seen him before," Judith said. "Just before we picked you and Estelle up."

"It's huge!" Karol exclaimed, falling back in amazement.

"Doesn't look like he's in a good mood either," Raven added, still trying to knock water out of his ears. "Damn girl, you sure know how to wake a guy up!"  
\-----------------------------------------------------

"Isn't that Jennuir?" Bouquet asked nervously, pointing to the massive dragon. She had separated from Saber-Tiger while Kluke was taking a break.

"Yeah, it sure is," Kluke replied grimly.

"He looks so much scarier than I imagined." Bouquet's eyes were wide.

"We'd better get back to the others," Andopov said.

"Right. Everyone hop on, maro!" Marumaro exclaimed, summoning Saber-Tiger.

\------------------------------------------------  
"That's seriously Jennuir?!" Shu exclaimed.

"He's huge!" Minotaur added.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Blue Dragon agreed.

"This looks bad..." Kraken murmured.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Cerberus added.

"Scary..." Marumira and Marutora whimpered, hugging each other for comfort.

"Let's head back," Jiro said, glancing at Shu.

"Right!"  
\-----------------------------

As Jennuir surveyed the area a war was being held, he was joined by nine more Entelexeia, the group nicknamed the Tailed Beasts.

"We're ready, Lord Jennuir," Kurama said.

"It was a clever idea, fooling these stupid humans into starting a war just to get them all together like this," Gyuki chuckled.

"Let us begin," Jennuir growled. The ten Entelexeia opened their mouths, a gigantic ball of highly dense aer being formed in front of them.

"DIE!" they roared, releasing the aer ball, the attack hitting the middle of the battlefield and detonating, the explosion engulfing the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1]: Gladsheim does not appear in the game Tales of Vesperia itself. In fact, it's actually a secret dungeon in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. I'm certain that there are more cities and town in Tales of Vesperia than are revealed. I just made up one and I'll probably make up more.


	12. A Blast from the Past

Flynn coughed violently as he inhaled more dust kicked up from the explosion. He and Hope were lucky to have been far enough away from the attack to avoid serious damage. However, he didn't know how well the others were.

"My ears won't stop ringing!" Hope griped, smacking one ear to stop the buzzing. Flynn glanced up at the cliff where the ten Entelexeia had been perched minutes ago. The area up there was now clear.

"Looks like they got away," Flynn commented. He turned to Hope. "Seems that the people fighting are now more concerned about what just happened rather than the battle. It should dissolve on its own now."

"I hope you're right about that," Hope replied. "We should be getting back to the others."  
\--------------------------------------------------

"Owww..." Yuri moaned, slowly getting up from where he landed after the blast had sent him flying. "That's gonna leave a mark in the morning."

"Yuri! Are you alright?!" Yuri turned, seeing Shu, Jiro, Marumira, and Marutora running toward him.

"Yeah, more or less," Yuri answered Shu. Patty jumped out of some nearby bushes, embracing Yuri in a bear hug and knocking him back down.

"Yuri! I'm so glad you're safe!" the pirate cried out.

"Okay! I get it- - ow!" Yuri replied, struggling in the girl's embrace. He shrugged her off and looked around. "Karol? Estelle? Judy? Rita? Old Man?"

"I'm here," Rita said, walking over to the man, dusting off her clothes. "And so is Estelle." Said princess was following close behind the mage. "Judith's off checking up on Ba'ul. I don't know where the runt and the old pervert are, and I don't really care either."

"Hey! Be nice!" Raven's indignant voice rang out. He was leaping over the piles of rubble from the blast, Karol struggling close behind.

"Raven! Slow down!" Karol whined. "My legs aren't as long as yours!"

"Are you okay?" Estelle asked.

"More or less," Raven replied. "I saw some guild men pulling out. Seems that Harry finally made it ta them, though not in time. Where's Kluke an' the others?"

"Over here!" Andropov called out. He was riding on his Shadow with Kluke while Bouquet and Marumaro rode on Saber-Tiger. When they got over to the others they leapt off their Shadows, the Shadows vanishing. Kluke was unconscious and Estelle ran over to her.

"What happened?!" Estelle demanded.

"Don't worry. She just used up too much energy from overexerting herself. She should wake up soon," Andropov replied.

"Now all that's left is to find Flynn and Hope," Yuri said. Some nearby bushes rustled and Yuri took out his katana. "A monster?!"

"It can't be! All this fighting would drive them away!" Karol protested.

"Who's there?!" Shu demanded. The bushes rustled again and Katrina walked out.

"Ugh, I thought you guys were Altosk," she groaned. Yuri lowered his sword and took a step toward the woman.

"You get lost?" Yuri asked smugly. Katrina scowled at the man.

"The explosion just now split all of us up. I've been searching for my fellow guildmen and I happened to hear some voices."

"Which turned out ta be us," Raven finished.

"Exactly," Katrina said. "Do you guys know what's going on?"

"I thought we explained the situation back in Dahngrest," Yuri replied. "The ancient Entelexeia were behind the attacks and the explosion just now."

"Looks like you weren't lying after all then. It seems that everyone else realized that. I've seen the Knights and the otherworlders pulling out. There's probably a lot of casualties from just the blast. It hit the area with the largest concentration of people," Katrina said. She was about to continue when a voice rang out nearby.

"There you all are!" Hope came out of the trees, followed by Flynn. Both had seen better days, but were mostly unharmed. "We finally foun- -"

Hope stopped, her eyes widening when she saw Katrina, her mouth gaping. Katrina blinked a few times, then her expression matched Hope's.

"No way..." Katrina breathed, shaking her head. "It... it can't be!"

Yuri looked from Hope to Katrina and back to Hope. "You two know each other or something?"

Both girls didn't say a word, though tears were beginning to build in their eyes. Finally, Hope broke the silence.

"I-is that you...Kate?"  
\----------------------------------

Flynn blinked several times. Kate? He didn't recall Hope ever mentioning her. Looking at Hope, he saw many emotions swirling in her eyes. Relief, amazement, saddness, and joy.

Glancing at Katrina, he saw very similar emotions in her bright green eyes, though they also betrayed one other emotion: anger.

"Mist...why are you with the Knights...?" Katrina said, her words coming out almost like a growl. If Hope had picked up on that, she didn't show it.

"Kate... how are you... still alive...?" Hope asked, taking a step toward the woman, but Katrina's hand shot to the rapier on her side.

"Answer my question first!" Now Katrina's voice was in a full snarl, rage lighting up her eyes. Hope was taken aback, taking a step back.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Hope asked.

"You know damn well what I mean!" Katrina roared. "Do you realize you're working with the same people who slaughtered our group?! Our family?! How the hell can you do this?!"

"Hold on! The Knights didn't do that! The people who did that were mercenaries hired by Fortune's Market!"

Now it was Katrina's turn to take a step back. "Huh?"

"Kate...please answer my question now. How are you still alive? I saw you struck down by those Knights that had chased us in Heliord."

"I wasn't killed, Mist, although it seems the Knights thought so. I was stabbed and blacked out. The next thing I knew, I was in Dahngrest. A member of Altosk who was making his way back to the guild city from Heliord found me and got me to Dahngrest's clinic in time. That was also when I got some news that the Knight's had attacked our refuge."

"Who gave you that piece of news?" Hope asked. Katrina looked away.

"I...I had overheard Ms. Kaufman talking to Don Whitehorse about it."

"Of course she would say it was the Knights instead of some mercenaries hired by her. And since the Knights are sworn enemies of the guilds, the other guilds would believe that without question."

"But Mist. Why are you with the Knights?" Katrina asked again, a flare of anger rising in her voice again. "Even if they didn't slaughter everyone, they're still evil and corrupt."

"That was under Alexei's rule!" Hope protested. "With Flynn as the Commandant, the Empire is becoming less corrupt! I joined because of what happened in Dahngrest. I hated the guilds for killing everyone!"

"But you thought the Knights had killed me, and yet you didn't hate them?" The anger was back full blast in Katrina's eyes. Hope gasped.

"No! That's not what I meant!"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Katrina snapped. "If you've sunk this far, then there's no connection between the two of us anymore!"

"Kate! You don't underst- -" Hope started, but Katrina cut her off.

"Don't call me Kate ever again! It's Katrina!" With that, Katring spun around, shoving her way past Yuri and Patty, both protesting, and disappeared into the thick foliage.

Flynn went over to Hope, who was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He wrapped an arm around the woman and pulled her in close to him. Hope buried her face into his chest, her shoulders heaving as her sobs filled the space the group was in.

Ba'ul's howl sounded and Yuri looked up. "It's time to go now."

\------------------------------------------------------------------  
"So how did you know that Katrina woman, maro?" Marumaro asked as Ba'ul flew the group in the direction of Zaphias. Estelle, who was looking after Kluke, shot the Devee a look.

"You shouldn't talk about that with her!"

"It's okay," Hope said dully. Her eyes were red from crying. "Back during the Great War, the orphanage I was raised in was destroyed and those of us who survived scattered. I found myself in Dahngrest, where I met a boy named Sam. He took me to this hideout where he and a bunch of other orphans of the war were living. That's where I met Kate, who had gathered everyone there."

"And so she was a friend then, huh?" Shu asked. Hope nodded.

"We stole food and supplies in Dahngrest to keep ourselves alive and as we got older, we stole from places further away. When I was 15, Kate, Sam, and I went to Heliord for one of our raids. Inside the storage facility of the Fortune's Market branch stationed there, we found weapons and blastia. However, some Knights caught us. Kate held them off while Sam and I escaped. I had turned around just in time to see one of the Knights strike her down and both of us thought she had died. Later that night, mercenaries hired by Fortune's Market attacked out hideout, slaughtering everyone. I was the only survivor."

"So that's what happened," Flynn murmured.

"And then you ran away from Dahngrest before they could catch you and you eventually found yourself in Zaphias where you joined the Imperial Knighs, is that correct?" Yuri asked. Hope nodded.

"But why? If you thought the Knights killed one of your friends, why did you join in the first place?" Rita asked.

"There was going to be no safe place for me in the guilds, and I figured that since Zaphias was on a different continent than Heliord, it shouldn't be too risky to join. I needed some kind of pay to feed myself after all," Hope replied. "I still can't believe Kate is alive."

"It's gotta be hard to have believed a friend to be dead for five years and then suddenly seeing them just like that, not to mention the things she said to you as well," Shu commented.

"Let's just get back to the castle," Flynn said. "Then we can discuss our next plan of action."

 

When the group landed in Zaphias, two knights approached Flynn, saluting to him.

"Sir, we heard that there was an attack on the battlefield!" one said.

"That's correct," Flynn replied. "I want a meeting with the Emperor and the Council immediately. There's something important I must discuss with them."

"Yes sir!" the knights replied, heading into the castle. Flynn turned to the group. "Hope, you're with me. Lady Estellise, would you come as well? Everyone else, make yourselves comfortable. We'll be back in a little while."

"You got it," Yuri replied. "We're gonna need all the help we can get if we could stand a chance against Jennuir's forces."

Flynn nodded and beckoned Hope and Estelle to follow him into the castle. The others went inside, heading toward the guest rooms.

"Judy, how are things going on Octavia's end?" Yuri asked.

"I've asked her that a little while ago. She said that she's still gathering Entelexeia to join her against Jennuir," the Krityan replied. "She told me that it'll take quite a bit of time to match the strength of Jennuir's army."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we have the luxury of time anymore," Raven said.

"Yeah. Jennuir could declare war at any time," Jiro added. "And if we aren't ready, we could be wiped out."

"I'm pretty sure that attack on the battlefield was just Jennuir demonstrating the kind of power he holds," Andropov pointed out.

"Are we all gonna die?!" Bouquet whimpered.

"No, we're not!" Shu snapped, making the black haired girl jump. "We're gonna win no matter what."

"Now that's the spirit!" Yuri grinned.

"Seems like he's taking after you, Yuri," Judith chuckled.

"No, Shu's always been like this," Kluke laughed.

"Let's jus' hope it all ends well fer us," Raven said.

\------------------------------------------  
"I understand that you've called a meeting to discuss the current issue going on with the Entelexeia," Ioder said as the meeting started.

"That is correct, Your Highness," Flynn replied. "The battle in Tolbyccia was interrupted by an attack from Jennuir and his followers. The attack landed in the area where most of the fighting was, so there will be a great many casualties. However, we now need to shift our focus from the guilds and kingdoms to the ancient Entelexeia threatening us. The Entelexeia from the Gerios period have already agreed to lend us assistance against Jennuir, but they're still lacking the strength to match his. So I propose that we form an alliance with the Union and Palestralle once again as well as with the other world."

"Are you insane?!" one counsilman shouted. "Do you realize that you're suggesting we bear arms with the people we just fought with not even a day ago?!"

"Please!" Estelle begged. "If we don't do this, then all of humanity could be wiped out!"

Astonished murmuring broke out among the counsilmen. Ioder motioned for silenced and turned to Flynn. "Is this true, Commandant?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Flynn replied. "Jennuir has made it perfectly clear that he intends to elimminate or enslave all of mankind."

"In that case, a world alliance would be the best plan."

"Emperor, you cannot be serious!" Counsilman Edward exclaimed.

"If we lose, then all of mankind is done for. We must unite to face this threat. I'm certain that after that attack on the battlefield, the kingdoms and guilds will be more open to negotiation for an alliance against these Entelexeia, now that they've seen firsthand what kind of power they hold against us." Ioder looked back to Flynn. "We will begin operations immediately for a worldwide alliance."

"Yes!" Hope shouted, leaping out of her seat, earning the stares of everyone in the room. Her face matched a tomato and she hurridly sat herself back down. "Sorry..."

The meeting was adjourned and Flynn, Estelle, and Hope left the conference room.

"That actually went better than I expected," Flynn sighed. "I thought more councilmen would protest."

"Me too. I guess they may be starting to respect you some," Hope replied.

"Now that's wishful thinking," Flynn chuckled, wrapping an arm around Hope and kissing her forehead.

"I'm serious," Hope said, returning the kiss. "You've been leaving quite an impression not just on the Knights, but on the city itself. You're on your way to making your dream a reality."

"That's right, Flynn," Estelle added cheerily. "I've overheard many councilmen talking about your achievements with respect and interest."

"Mine or Yuri's?"

Estelle's face dropped at Flynn's grim tone. It was Yuri's achievements that got him to become Commandant in the first place and Yuri still refused to tell everyone in the Council the truth, much to Flynn's chargin.

"Don't worry. You've done many great things as a Knight," Hope assured the man. Flynn smiled at her.

"Thanks. Maybe after this whole Jennuir thing is over, we can think about starting a family."

"I'd like that," Hope replied.


	13. Separation

"So, what's our first order of business?" Yuri asked the next day. The group gathered outside the castle gates.

"Getting the leaders of the worlds together," Flynn stated. "Brave Vesperia should be the ones to asked the Union and Palestralle. You Shadow Wielders can talk to the kingdoms' leaders. From what you told us, it seems you're pretty famous. We can meet at Aurnion within a week."

"So, what are you and Hope going to be doing?" Shu asked.

"We'll be looking for clues as to where the enemy Entelexeia could be hiding," Flynn replied.

"Sounds dangerous. Are you sure you'll be okay?" Judith asked. "This sounds like something we should do as a group."

"We can't just stand around twiddling our thumbs for the week," Hope replied with a smirk. "Wouldn't be fair if you guys did all the hard work."

"Hey, maybe we could get Logi to help us," Shu suggested.

"Are you crazy?!" Jiro snapped. "Have you forgotten he was the one who shot us down and tried to kill us?!"

"But this fight concerns the entire world!" Shu protested. "It makes sense that he should help out too! Besides, he's helped us against the Darkness and the Legion of Elite Species, so why wouldn't he help us now?"

"Hey, Andropov," Kluke said, turning to the silver-haired boy. "Do you think you could get us in to see Logi?"

"Yeah, come to think of it, Logi still trusts you, maro," Marumaro said.

"You have a point," Jiro admitted. "If Andropov's with us, Logi shouldn't be too willing to attack us."

"Think you can pull this off?" Kluke asked.

"I'll see what I can do," Andropov replied.

"But what if he attacks us, mira?!" Marumira whined. "What then?"

"We beat him up, or course, tora!" Marutora grinned. Kluke shot the two Devee a look.

"We aren't going to be doing any kind of fighting."

"Worst-case scenario, we can use Phoenix's teleporting powers to escape if he does decide to attack," Shu said.

"Can't we leave Logi for last?" Bouquet asked. "He scares me!"

"Good idea," Jiro said. "We should stop by Korin and see how reconstruction's going."

"Okay. Let's head out!" Shu announced. He turned to the Terca Lumirans. "Good luck! We'll see you in a week!"

"Take care!" Estelle replied. Blue Dragon, Saber-Tiger, Phoenix, and Albiheim were summoned, Shu and Jiro on Blue Dragon, the three Devee on Saber-Tiger, Kluke and Bouquet on Phoenix, and Andropov on his Shadow. The Shadows then took off, leaving Zaphias.

"I'll call Ba'ul," Judith said, her hand going to the side of her head.

"So, where we goin' first?" Raven asked, hands going behind his head.

"Maybe we should start in Palestralle. After all, they weren't involved in the battle," Karol pointed out.

"Good point, Captain Karol," Yuri said. "Besides, we're on good terms with Natz."

"Yeah! Let's go to Nordopolica!" Patty exclaimed. "The nighttime parties they have are so much fun!"

"We aren't going there to party, just so you know," Rita replied. Repede huffed and agreement. Ba'ul's howl sounded and the Entelexeia came into view, landing the ship just outside the noble quarter.

"Well, that's our cue. Time to go!" Yuri announced. The group, minus Flynn and Hope headed for the ship. However, Yuri stopped just before leaving the city, turning around to face Flynn, giving the Commandant a hard look. "Don't go dying."

"Same to you. I'm pretty sure the Union wasn't too pleased that you didn't assist them," Flynn replied. Yuri glanced at Hope.

"Do you want me to pass a message to Katrina?"

Hope hesitated, then shook her head, sadness welling up in her eyes. Yuri nodded in understanding. He headed for the ship, climbing onboard, Ba'ul taking off with a howl.

Once Ba'ul was out of sight, Hope turned to Flynn.

"Judith does have a point, you know. We could be going on a suicide mission if it's just the two of us."

"I'm aware of that. And that's why I've got a brigade coming with us," Flynn replied.

"Sodia's?" Hope asked. Flynn shook his head.

"No, she's helping out with the relief effort in Deidon Hold, and many of the other captains have been sent out trying to protect our cities from the increased monster attacks due to Jennuir's influence. The Knights in our brigade were included in the effort, as you already know."

"Then...who's coming?"

"One of the newer captains and his brigade," Flynn replied. Hope thought back to who was recently made Captain. She could recall only one, and as soon as that thought entered her head, the blood drained from her face.

"Oh no... You can't mean..."

"Captain Leon Magnus [1]," Flynn finished.

"But why?! That kid is so stuck-up! I'll go crazy before the week is up if I have to spend it with him!" Hope exclaimed.

"Well, thank you for expressing your thoughts on me."

Hope glowered, slowly looking over her shoulder. The 16-year-old captain was headed in Hope and Flynn's direction, accompanied by ten Knights.

"Oh yay, look who's here," Hope growled.

"Nice to see you, too," Leon replied, flicking away the raven hair partially covering his right eye.

"Hope, why are you so dissatisfied with him?" Flynn asked.

"Because he's an ass!" Hope exclaimed.

"And you're a nag!" Leon retorted. Hope honestly couldn't stand the kid. Sure, he was a prodigy with a sword, but that also made him completely arrogant.

His sister, Rutee Katrea [1] wasn't much better. The woman was a pickpocket and a thief. But despite Hope's misgivings about the 18-year-old, she had some good points too. The money she both stole and earned from monster hunting went to orphanages.

Hope had met Rutee on a few occasions, usually when it came to Rutee's run-ins with the law. And it was from Rutee that she found out that Leon Magnus wasn't the young captain's real name.

"He's too embarrassed by it, so when he applied for the Knights, he changed his name," Rutee had explained.

"So what is his real name?" Hope had asked. Rutee then had a little twinkle in her eye.

"I'll tell you it...but it'll cost you. 10,000 Gald."

"WHAT?!"

"Sorry, but the brat kinda threatened my life if I told anyone."

Hope and Leon stared each other down, gold locking onto violet. The members of the Leon Brigade were beginning to look a little nervous and Flynn shook his head miserably.

"This is going to be a long week..." Flynn grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

 

"There's Korin!" Shu exclaimed, pointing down from Blue Dragon.

"Looks like they're doing well with the repairs," Kluke commented. The city still showed signs of devistation, but many buildings had already been repaired, including Sui's mansion.

"Maybe we should ask Sui to come to the meeting," Jiro suggested.

"That's a good idea. And with her connections, she could help us investigate Jennuir and his forces," Kluke agreed. Everyone else nodded in agreement, the Shadows landing at the door. After a couple of knocks, Sui opened the door, surprise written on her face when she saw the group.

"I didn't expect to see you guys so soon. I figured you'd be after the monsters who trashed the battlefield.

"You heard about that already, mira?!" Marumira gasped.

"Word travels faster than you'd think," Sui replied. "You all can come in and get comfortable."

"Thanks, Sui," Shu said, he and the others going inside Sui's mansion. Once they were all sat down, Sui began.

"I assume you're here for information on Jennuir."

"How'd you know his name?!" Bouquet exclaimed. Sui smirked.

"The word's all over Zaphias. It didn't take long for my informants to get the information."

"We were actually going to ask you to attend a meeting to discuss a world alliance against Jennuir's forces in Aurnion a week from now," Jiro said. "But while we're here, do you have any information on his whereabouts?"

"Unfortunately, no," Sui replied. "We're searching every nook and cranny of the world for clues on his hideout, but we're coming up with nothing. It's almost like he comes from out of nowhere."

"Well, when one of Jennuir's followers appears, maybe an informant could tail it?" Kluke suggested.

"Too risky," Sui said. "If the informant gets caught, it'll be all over for them. Besides, those things are way too fast and stealthy to follow very well." She stood up from her chair. "I'll attend the meeting. Hopefully the world will be able to find a way to get along. I know where to find Aurnion. I'll see you guys there."

"Yeah, see you later," Shu replied.

 

Ba'ul took off from Nordopolica with a howl, his next destination now Dahngrest.

"I'm happy that Natz agreed right away to a world alliance," Estelle said, grinning.

"I think he's just as tired of all this conflict as we are," Yuri replied. "Besides, we've helped him numerous times in the past, so it doesn't surprise me that he's willing to return the favor."

"Now onto the hard part: getting the Union to agree," Karol said.

"Harry still isn't looked up to much in the Union," Raven pointed out. "Lots of guildsmen may not agree ta an alliance. Guess we'll jus' hafta cross our fingers an' hope this'll all work out."

"They'll need to agree to this," Judith said. "It's either that or annihilation by Jennuir."

"Yeah, but those guild guys can be pretty stubborn when they put their minds to it," Rita added. "They'll probably think they can handle the whole problem on their own."

"But Jennuir's so powerful!" Patty exclaimed. "They'll be killed if they try that!"

"Which is why we need to get them to work with the rest of the world," Yuri said. He glanced at Tokunaga. "How much further to Dahngrest?"

"We should reach Dahngrest in about two hours," Tokunaga replied. Yuri sighed, reaching down to scratch Repede behind the ears, the dog leaning into it.

"Guess we have some time left to think about how to handle the Union."

Ba'ul howled and Judith looked up, a serious look on her face. She faced the group.

"Prepare yourselves. We have company."

"Is there any land?" Yuri asked.

"Just up ahead are a couple of small islands," Tokunago replied. Judith nodded, looking up at Ba'ul.

"Land us there, Ba'ul!" she called up. Ba'ul howled a reply and descended the ship. An explosion rocked the ship, knocking almost everyone off their feet.

"What was that?!" Rita demanded.

"An Entelexeia!" Judith replied. "One of Jennuir's." Another explosion shook the ship as Ba'ul landed it, everyone getting off right away, facing the direction of their attacker.

The Entelexeia assaulting them landed in front of the party. It was a large serpentine beast with golden scales covering its body and was twice as tall as the ship. Six sky blue angelic wings came out from its back, spines surrounding where the wings connect to the body. A long, thin tail trailed behind it, the end tuffed with red fur. It's muscular arms and legs were equiped with deadly white claws. It's face resembled a lizard's, violet eyes glaring at the group before it.

"I take it you're here to eliminate us?" Yuri called to it. The Entelexeia's gaze shifted to the swordsman.

"I am Mo'ang," the Entelexeia replied, his voice gutteral. "By the order of Lord Jennuir, you are to be erased from existance."

"If you can, that is," Yuri smirked, taking Second Star out.

"Remember, he's very powerful!" Judith warned. "Do something without thinking it through and you'll be dead."

"Tell us something we don't already know!" Rita retorted, casting a spell. "Demon's Lance!"

A spear of dark energy formed above Mo'ang, shooting down at the Entelexeia. However, Mo'ang suddenly vanished, the spear hitting the ground and vanishing.

"Wha- -" Before Rita could finish, Mo'ang appeared behind the mage, his tail slamming into her and sending her flying.

"Rita!" Estelle exclaimed, running over to where Rita landed, crouching down and casting a healing arte.

"Take this!" Patty shouted, shooting repeatedly at Mo'ang while Raven accompanied the bullets with a barrage of arrows. Unfortunately, Mo'ang used his agility to swiftly dodge the attack. He roared, flapping his wings and causing a giant gust of wind to knock Patty and Raven off their feet.

"Dammit, he's fast!" Yuri growled, dashing forward in the direction of the two, using his sword to block the claws Mo'ang was aiming at Patty and Raven. Judith suddenly appeared above the Entelexeia, performing Moonbeam and managing to make Mo'ang stagger back a few steps from the shockwave.

Karol leapt up, performing Rending Drop and diving headfirst toward the lizard, smashing his axe into the Entelexeia's back. Mo'ang spat, taking off into the air with Karol still on his back.

"Yuri! Judith! Someone! Heeeeelp!" Karol cried out.

"Ba'ul!" Judith shouted. Ba'ul opened his mouth, charging an energy beam and firing it at Mo'ang, hitting two of his right wings. Mo'ang flailed a bit before crashing back down to the ground, his damaged wings smoldering from the blast. Karol took this chance to leap off the Entelexeia's back before it had the time to recover.

"Now Estelle!" Yuri shouted to the princess, who had just finished charging up her spell.

"Holy Rain!" Estelle shouted, arrows of light raining down from the sky, pummeling Mo'ang.

"Indignation!" Rita's Mystic Arte struck the lizard square in the middle of his back, causing him to roar in pain. Repede used Shining Fang, leaping up and spinning forward quickly, his dagger making a deep wound in the Entelexeia.

"Curse you humans!" Mo'ang growled, getting back onto his feet. He opened his mouth, charging an energy beam similar to Ba'ul's and fired it.

"Force Field!" Estelle called out, a barrier made of green energy surrounding the party. However, after a few seconds, the shield began to crack. Estelle grit her teeth, trying to force more power into the barrier.

However, the shield shattered, the blast from the energy beam sending the party flying, a large cloud of smoke covering the area. Mo'ang turned to face Ba'ul, who had just taken off to find a safer place, and began to charge another energy beam.

Yuri erupted from the smoke, swinging his katana and landing a blow on the side of Mo'ang's head, canceling its attack. Mo'ang growled, swiping with one hand at Yuri, managing to slice the swordsman across the chest.

"Yuri!" Estelle shouted. Judith charged at the Entelexeia, followed closely by Rita, Raven, Karol, Repede and Patty. Judith leapt up, catching Yuri in midair and landing, Estelle and Patty rushing toward the Krityan. The other three continued to fight off Mo'ang.

"Damn, that hurts!" Yuri hissed, one hand covering the gash. Blood was staining his black tunic and Judith set him down so that Estelle could heal him.

"Yuri! Hang in there!" Patty exclaimed. Yuri gave the pirate an annoyed look.

"I'm not gonna die, you idiot. Help everyone else!"

Patty looked like she was about to protest, but Judith grabbed the girl's arm, dragging her toward the fighting.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Judith reminded her. Patty hesitated, then gave the woman a small nod, raising her pistols and using Variable Trigger, quickly firing three bullets at Mo'ang. The Entelexeia easily dodged it, but stepped where Raven was waiting.

"Blast Heart!" he shouted, his blastia heart expelling massive amounts of energy. He grabbed at his chest when his Mystic Arte was finished, panting heavily.

"Don't strain yourself, Raven!" Karol called to the older man. He used Destruction Street, slamming his axe into the stunned Mo'ang's leg, creating a large bleeding gash. Repede used his Mystic Arte, Slash, a golden light enveloping the dog warrior and he shot forward, slamming into Mo'ang and spinning around, finishing with a strong uppercut with his dagger. Judith used Rising Moonlight Havoc, damaging the Entelexeia's torso while Rita followed it up with Flame Dragon, sending Mo'ang skidding a few feet away.

The Entelexeia was now bleeding from several wounds, panting heavily. Yuri, whom Estelle had just finished healing, approached it, raising his sword to deal the finishing blow. However, Mo'ang flapped his undamaged wings as hard as he could, stirring up an enormous cloud of dust, blinding everyone. Once it cleared, Mo'ang had vanished.

"Dammit! He got away!" Yuri spat, sheathing his sword.

"He probably went back to Jennuir," Judith said. She suddenly fell to one knee, gripping her right arm tightly, grimacing.

"Judith! Are you okay?!" Estelle exclaimed, rushing over to the Krityan.

"Mo'ang managed to give my arm a good blow with his tail," Judith admitted. Estelle closed her eyes, clasping her hands together as she cast First Aid, green light enveloping Judith's injury.

"Anyone else hurt?" Yuri asked. Everyone else shook their heads, but Yuri could see some bore a few wounds. The sleeve of Raven's coat was ripped, blood oozing from the scratch beneath. Karol had several scrapes on his face. Rita was favoring her right leg. Patty was clutching her side. Repede was licking at an area on his flank where some fur was ripped off.

"Judy, could you call Ba'ul?" Yuri asked. "Well get some gels to help with the injuries. We don't want Estelle passing out after all," he added, seeing Estelle wobble a bit after she finished healing Judith.

"I'm fine," Estelle insisted. However, she fell back, Yuri catching her just in time.

"Sure you are. Now let's get back on the ship and get some rest."  
\-----------------------------------------

"Arrogant brat!"

"Crazy bitch!"

"Little bastard!"

"Commandant's pet!"

Flynn groaned. Hope and Leon had been arguing back and forth for about an hour now, and he was starting to get a major headache. He'd attempted to break up their fight about five times already, but to no avail. And the worst part was that since they were stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean with no means of escape, he had to put up with it. He was honestly surprised they haven't gone for each other's throats yet.

"Commandant, where are we heading?" one of Leon's knights asked.

"Desier," Flynn replied. "We'll land the the ship on a strip of land in the northern part of the desert and from their, we'll head for Mt. Temza."

"Why Temza?" Hope asked, taking a break from fighting with the raven haired boy long enough to ask the question.

"It's a desolate area thanks to the Great War," Flynn answered. "With no inhabitants, it would make the perfect place for a hideout."

"What'll we do if it is their hideout?" Leon asked. "We'll be killed if we try to take them on."

"Never thought I'd ever hear the day when you admit your own powerlessness," Hope smirked. Leon shot her a glare.

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"Enough, you two!" Flynn said sternly, Hope and Leon turning their heads away from each other with a "Hmph!"

"So what will we be doing, sir?" a Knight asked.

"If we do find evidence of a hideout, we'll leave on the ship immediately. Once it's time for the meeting in Aurnion, we'll pass on the information. However, we could still run into trouble, so be on guard."

"If Temza isn't the place, where will we head next?" Hope asked.

"It'd have to be a place without the Great Spirits or other Entelexeia," Flynn replied. "Probably on the continent of Yuzorea."

"Sure we can get all this done in a week?" Hope asked.

"Probably not," Flynn admitted. "But it's worth it if we get any leads."

The ship docked itself at the designated area, the Knights making their way through the desert to the devestated mountains ahead. After a few monster encounters, the group finally made it to the crater in the mountain.

"Still hard to believe that the Entelexeia did this during the Great War," Hope commented.

"Where do we begin?" Leon asked.

"We'll spread out and see if we can find anything," Flynn replied. "If anyone finds anything that could lead to the discovery of Jennuir's hideout, fire a flare with your blastia. The rest of us will rush to that location as soon as possible. Same thing if you encounter any trouble, such as one of Jennuir's Entelexeia. Also be aware that the Giganto Monster Pterobronc resides in these mountains as well, so stay on guard."

Everyone nodded in understanding, fanning out to scope the mountains for clues. Hope searched around every rock she encountered, looking for an overly large scale, an enormous feather, a huge tuft of fur, anything that would point to the existence of an Entelexeia. However, she kept coming up with nothing.

"Dammit..." she sighed. "There's nothing but rocks, rocks, and more rocks!"

"What'd you expect? We are in the mountains."

"Shove it, Leon!" Hope growled, turning to face the teen. "And why are you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be searching elsewhere?"

"That should be my line," Leon said, crossing his arms. "I was searching when I looked up and saw you."

Hope blushed and looked around, surprise by how far she'd wandered off from the area she was scoping.

"Heh, seems you're always screwing up," Leon smirked. Hope glared daggers at the Knight.

"I'm warning you: don't push your luck, kid!"

"Like you could do anything to me," Leon retorted.

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"

A roar interrupted the two. They turned to the source of it. Down in one of the many craters dotting the mountains was Pterobronc, and it didn't look even the tiniest bit happy.

"Damn you, Leon! Look what you did!" Hope growled.

"Me?! Your shouting is what caused it to get pissed!" Leon snapped back.

"Like you're one to talk!" Hope spat. She raised her arm that had her blastia on, charging up spirit power and ready to release a flare when Leon slapped her arm down. "The hell you doing?!"

"I can handle this one on my own," Leon replied, taking out his sword and dagger, shifting into a battle stance, facing the Giganto Monster which was now approaching him.

"As much as I'd like to see you dead, I don't think this is the time for you to be an idiot," Hope said. "That thing will chew you up and spit you out!"

"How long are you going to keep underestimating me?" Leon growled.

"I'm pretty sure this entire time I've been overestimating you!" Hope retorted. She pulled out Last Fencer. "You can't win this alone! We need Flynn and the other Knights here to assist us!"

"I though I told you I got this!" Leon snarled. Pterobronc was almost upon them, its four wings spread wide and its mouth open in a deafening roar. An earth magic circle appeared under Leon and he raised his sword. "Stone Blast!"

The numerous rocks scattered around the area were fired at the monster. However, Pterobronc folded its wings over its body, protecting itself from the spell. As soon as it opened its wings up again, Leon surged forward using Glimmer Dragon and knocking the monster back. Pterobronc's barbed tail shot out and Leon held his sword up to defend himself.

"Dragon Claw!" Hope shouted, the red energy released from her sword knocking the tail away. Leon shot her an annoyed look.

"Keep out of this!"

"I highly doubt you would have been able to keep yourself from at least getting scratched by that. Don't forget the barbed tail contains poison. I just saved you, you know?!" Hope snapped back.

"I already told you I can handle this on my own!" Leon shouted back. He didn't notice Pterobronc getting back up, raising one clawed wing and swinging it at the young captain.

"Leon! Duck!" Hope exclaimed, but her warning came too late. Leon spun around and attempted to raise his blades to defend himself, but the Pterobronc's attack broke through his defense, blood flying from the new gash in his right shoulder.

"Shit!" Leon spat, clutching at the wound as he attempted to get back on his feet. Pterobronc was right in front of him now, mouth wide and lunging forward. However, Hope rushed in between Leon and the monster, swinging her sword and slicing Pterobronc's chin open. As it reeled back, Hope fired a flare from her blastia, the spirit energy exploding in the sky.

"We can't win this alone, don't you get it?!" Hope snapped without facing the raven haired swordsman. "Your pride is meaningless if it gets you killed!"

"I'm aware of that!" Leon retorted.

"No, you aren't! If you were, you'd agree to having backup!" Hope countered. "Now get up off your ass and fight!"  
\------------------------------------------

Flynn saw the flare in an instant. He saw that it came from Leon's position, yet the spirit energy resembled the energy from Hope's blastia.

'Something must be wrong,' Flynn thought, dashing off in the direction the flare came from. 'I hope it's not an Entelexeia!' 

Flynn was aware of the time it was taking him to reach the area, anxiety setting in as he heard fighting going on up ahead. Arriving in the area, the first thing he saw was Leon and Hope holding their weapons tightly, both panting heavily. Hope was bleeding from a wound on her forehead, the woman having to sometimes blink some of it from her eyes. Crimson was staining her side from a large gash. Leon didn't look much better. Blood from his shoulder soaked his blue uniform. Red blossomed from a gash on his chest and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.

A roar sounded and that's when Flynn noticed the Pterobronc. He rushed forward, drawing his sword. "Hope! Leon!"

The two faced him, relief lighting up Hope's face. "Thank the gods you're here! This idiot wanted to fight Pterobronc on his own!"

Said monster was now upon them again. Flynn leaped up, bringing his sword down on one of Pterobronc's wings, slicing the arm of it deeply. Pterobronc roared in agony, shaking the blonde off. It lowered itself to the ground, wings spread out far, and spun around, knocking away the three Knights as they attacked, stunning them as they landed hard on the ground.

Pterobronc flew toward the three, but a fireball stopped it. Flynn glanced over in the direction it came from, seeing Leon's brigade heading toward them.

"Commandant! Captain! Hope!" one Knight shouted, reaching the three. The other nine in the brigade assaulted the Giganto Monster, a few being flung back by the monster's struggles.

"Take Hope and Leon back to the ship for treatment!" Flynn ordered. Hope had hit her head on a rock and passed out. Leon groaned loudly, blood starting to pool around him.

"Yes sir!" the Knight replied saluting. He gestured for three more Knights to help him, two taking Hope and the other two taking Leon. Flynn got back to his feet, slight dizziness from the impact making him stagger a little, but charged in nonetheless to assist the others of the Leon Brigade.

"Sword Rain: Alpha!" Flynn shouted, performing rapid stabs at the Pterobronc. By now, the monster was badly wounded, it's attacks becoming weaker and slower, allowing the Knights to launch more powerful attacks.

"Splash!" a Knight called out, water blasting from out of nowhere at the monster, knocking it to the ground.

"Sonic Thrust!" several other Knights said, rushing in at astonishing speeds and stabbing the Giganto Monster. Flynn's Beast arte sent it sliding a few feet away where the other Knights had leapt into the air, stabbing their swords down into the beast. Pterobronc gave one last quiver before going still, its eyes clouding over.

"Well done, everyone!" Flynn announced. "As it appears there's nothing here after all, we should head back."

The other Knights replied with "Yes, sir" and the group headed back to the ship.

When they were almost out of Mt. Temza, a person approached them, his long silver hair flapping in the wind and his crimson eyes surveying the group.

"Duke Pantarei," Flynn said, stepping forward. "What brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Duke replied.

"We were investigating the area for signs of the mountains possibly being the enemy Entelexeia's hideout," Flynn answered.

"The Draconian Entelexeia do not reside here," Duke said.

"We've already figured that out," Flynn replied cooly. "Now, why are you in this area?"

"I'm just revisiting the site of the Great War," Duke said. "That's all."

"I see. Well, if you'll excuse us we need to head back to our ship. A captain, Leon, and my second-in-command, Hope, had been wounded in the fight with Pterobronc and we need to get them treated."

"Hope? I thought her name was Mist," Duke said.

"That wasn't her real name. She was orphaned and her name was soon lost to her. However, she's regained her memory of it," Flynn replied. Something seemed to flicker in Duke's eyes, but it was gone so quickly Flynn wondered if he imagined it.

"You'd better hurry to your ship then," Duke said, walking past the Knights.

"Duke, there's a meeting that will occur in Aurnion a week from now to form an alliance in order to stand against Jennuir," Flynn said, turning to the man. Duke stopped, but didn't turn around. "Would you be interested in attending it? Your strength would be a welcome asset."

"I have alligned myself with the Entelexeia that side with Alrodoh," Duke replied. "I will follow them. However, I'll attend this meeting of yours anyway. I need to know what you plan to do if this war is won."

"What we plan to do?"

"I understand you are allying youselves with Alrodoh's Entelexeia in order to stand against Jennuir's. But what about after? Will you turn against the Entelexeia who assisted you as you turned against Elucifer?"

"I promise I won't let that happen," Flynn replied.

"Hmph, we'll see." With that, Duke took his leave, heading up to Mt. Temza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Leon is from Tales of Destiny. I honestly couldn't resist putting him in because I wanted to make Hope's week hell. Seems I'm not too nice to my OC. He'll also be dressed the same as he is in the game. I just can't picture him in an Imperial Knight uniform. He also has Chaltier, although it's going to be a regular sword now, although the blastia he's using in this story is built into it. The Core Crystal is his blastia core.
> 
> [2] Same game as Leon. And once again, I couldn't resist putting the greedy witch in.


	14. Attack on Rosekstan

Moonlight shone through a hole in the top of a cavern, lighting up the space inside. In the middle was Mo'ang, crouching low to the ground as Jennuir's displeased gaze fell on him. Surrounding Mo'ang were the nine Entelexeia known as the Tailed Beasts.

"I gave you a simple order! To eliminate those humans!" Jennuir roared, making Mo'ang flinch.

"My Lord, I attempted to do as you asked, but they were more powerful than I had anticipated," the Entelexeia replied nervously.

Shukaku scoffed. "Weren't you the one who stated that you could kill them no problem? Were they just empty words?"

"First Allon, and now Mo'ang," Isobu said, looking at Jennuir. "We may need to get involved ourselves."

"That won't be necessary," Jennuir growled. "The others are more than capable of handling a few humans."

"However, it seems that they are searching for this hideout," Kokuo pointed out. "Shouldn't we act with haste before we are discovered?"

"They can search all they want. They'll never find this place," Kurama said. "I suggest we do something about Alrodoh's Entelexeia. They seem to be building up their forces again."

"Another war is approaching," Matatabi stated. "We should prepare ourselves."

"Don't tell me you honestly believe they'll stand a chance against us!" Chomei scoffed.

"It's better to be safe than sorry!" the jaguar snapped back.

"That's enough, you two!" Jennuir roared, silencing the two Entelexeia. Jennuir returned his gaze to Mo'ang. "Go to Jiin and have her see to your wounds."

"Yes, My Lord," Mo'ang replied, bowing his head, before turning and leaving the cavern through a tunnel.

"Lord Jennuir, what if things don't go our way?" Matatabi asked.

"No need to worry; they will," Jennuir replied, his lips curling back into a sneer. "And even if our enemies gain the upper hand, we still have our trump card in reserve. We won't lose to anyone."

Jennuir's red gaze flicked over to a corner of the cavern, the moonlight causing a small sparkle on the surface of an object sitting there. "We will be victorious!" He glanced at Isobu. "However, it wouldn't hurt to get involved every now and then. Isobu, I have a mission for you..."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope woke with a groan, her head pounding and for a moment she wondered if the Giganto Monsters were having a party up there.

The thought of Giganto Monsters suddenly made her remember what had just happened, and she looked around wildly, expecting to find herself on Mt. Temza. Instead, she was laying in a bed in the cabin of the ship. Putting a hand to her head, she felt bandages wrapped around it. Looking down, she saw through the hole in her tunic and chainmail that the same had been done to her side.

"About time you decided to wake up."

That all-too-familiar voice made Hope scowl, shifting her gaze to a bed next to her's. "Oh, joy..."

The black-haired captain was sitting up in the bed he was in, his violet eyes displaying the arrogance Hope hated about him. Bandages covered his bare chest and shoulder, a bit of blood staining them.

"It's nice to see your mood hasn't changed," Leon remarked sarcastically. "You've been out cold all night."

"What happened to the Pterobronc?" Hope asked. Leon sneered at her.

"Can't you take a guess? The others finished it off, of course. If they hadn't, we wouldn't even be talking right now."

"Never thought I'd hear you be grateful to others," Hope smirked.

"It's not like I'm grateful or anything!" Leon snapped, glaring at her. "If you weren't there, I'd have been fine!"

"How is any of this my fault?!" Hope demanded.

"The only reason why we're in this situation is because you kept getting in my way!"

"I got in your way?! That should be my line!"

"Enough, you two!" Flynn's voice sounded as the Commandant entered the cabin. "I could hear you all the way out here. Can't you two get along for once in your life?"

"Don't blame me. This kid's the one who starts it," Hope replied. Flynn let out a long sigh.

"Honestly, you two are acting like a couple of 5-year-olds..."

"So, we're headed for Yurzorea now?" Hope asked. Flynn nodded.

"Correct, although it'll take us another day to reach the continent."

"Where will we search first?" Hope asked.

"There's a mountain chain on the southern edge of the continent. We'll search there first," Flynn replied. "However, we don't have very much information on the area, so anything could happen."

"Like another attack," Leon said. Flynn nodded.

"That's right. However, you two will need to stay on the ship."

"What?!" Hope and Leon exclaimed.

"You two are too injured to fight if we encounter a powerful monster," Flynn explained. "It'll be too risky for you to accompany us."

"What are we supposed to do while you guys are out there?" Hope asked.

"Rest and recover," Flynn replied simply. "That's all you two can do for the time being."

Hope and Leon looked like they were about to protest, but before they could say anything, Flynn had gotten up and left, shutting the door behind him.  
\-----------------------------------------

"Only four days left," Yuri murmured. "Dammit, how much longer are we gonna have to wait for Harry?!"

The group had arrived in Dahngrest two days ago, but were told that Harry was off in another city trying to defend it from the recent monster attack alongside the Hunting Blades. They were in the plaza, standing near one of the shops.

"Shouldn't be too much longer now," Raved replied.

"Hey! Here he comes now!" Karol exclaimed, pointing to where a large number of men were heading to the Union HQ, with Harry in the lead.

"At last!" Yuri sighed, he and the others heading over to the blonde. Harry took notice of them and gestured for the guldmen to continue heading to the HQ.

"What brings you all here?" Harry asked.

"Four days from now a meeting will be held in Aurnion to form a world alliance against the Entelexeia!" Estelle exclaimed. Harry held up a hand to stop her from continuing.

"Let's discuss this inside," he said, leading the group into the headquarters. They followed him into the audience chambers, where he was accompanied by four others, including Katrina and Caius. Katrina gave the group a long glare.

"Your Knight friends decide not to show up?" she growled.

"That's enough, Katrina," Harry said. Katrina huffed, but kept her mouth shut, allowing Harry to speak. "Now, what's this about a world alliance?"

"We've decided that the entire world needs to get together to fight off the enemy Entelexeia," Judith explained. "The same Entelexeia that devestated the battle."

"Are you certain that'll be enough to defeat them?" Harry asked.

"The Entelexeia opposed to those ones will be allied with us too," Yuri said. "We've already got Palestralle and the Empire agreeing to attend the meeting, and a few of our friends are trying to get the kingdoms of the other world to join in too."

"You do realize those are the same people we just fought with, right?" one guildman pointed out. "I highly doubt they'll be so eager to forgive and forget what happened."

"We all share a common enemy now though," Estelle insisted. "With everyone working together, I'm certain we can win!"

"I see. We'll attend the meeting," Harry said, earning shocked gasps from the guidmen with him, but the blonde ignored them. "However, whether or not the Union will join will be up to everyone else at the meeting."

"Well, we'll see you there then," Yuri said.  
\-------------------------------------------

"I'm getting tired, maro," Marumaro whined. The Shadow Wielders had just finished persuading some of the key kingdoms to show up at Aurnion, although they didn't seem too happy about it. Only two days were left now until the meeting would occur. The group was now heading for the island Rosekstan was stationed.

"So we're off to Logi's base now?" Kluke asked. Shu nodded.

"I hope he'll be willing to at least show up."

"We'll be lucky if he decides to even listen to us," Jiro pointed out. "We're enemies with Rosekstan, after all."

"I should be able to take care of getting an audience with him," Andropov said.

"And if anything goes bad, we can use Phoenix, right?" Bouquet asked.

"Yeah, but I hope it doesn't come to that," Shu replied.

"If he does decide to attack, we should just beat him into next week!" Blue Dragon growled. "We don't need to retreat!"

"Oh, that's real smart!" Saber-Tiger retorted. "Don't you realize that the base we're heading to is full of trained soldiers, robots, and Sleipnirs? It'd be more trouble than it's worth trying to break out of there!"

"Saber-Tiger's right," Phoenix said. "Besides, if we do attack, we'll be putting our wielders at risk."

"I knew you two were a couple of cowards!" Blue Dragon roared.

"That's enough, Blue Dragon!" Shu called down to his Shadow. "If there's trouble, we're using Phoenix's teleporting powers to escape, and that's final!"

"Hmph," Blue Dragon huffed. "You're getting way too soft for your own good, Shu."

The base soon came into view, the four Shadows landing at the edge of the island. They made their way through the forest, stopping when they reached the massive doors to the entrance. After a few moments, the doors opened, Matilda stepping out.

"Why are you all here?!" she demanded.

"We've come to have a word with Logi," Shu replied, taking a step forward. Matilda's eyes narrowed.

"What is it you need to speak to him about?"

"This is for Logi to hear," Shu replied, angering the ginger-haired woman.

"If that's how you're going to be, you won't be seeing the general."

"Please!" Andropov exclaimed, walking past Shu and standing in front of Matilda. "We need to speak with him! It's an urgent matter concerning the entire world!"

Matilda seemed to mull over Andropov's words for a moment. Finally, she spoke up. "Wait here a moment." The woman walked back into the base and came back out a few minutes later. "Follow me. But don't even think about trying anything funny."

"Don't worry; we won't," Shu replied. Matilda simply let out a huff and led the group into the base, taking them into the room where Logi was waiting. Matilda walked over to stand next to him.

"Matilda tells me you wish to speak with me. It must be important since you're risking entering enemy territory," Logi said.

"We'd like to ask you to attend a meeting for a world alliance," Shu replied. This seemed to take Logi and Matilda by surprise.

"A world alliance?" Matilda echoed.

"Might I ask what it's for?" Logi added.

"There are creatures called Entelexeia that live on Terca Lumires," Kluke said. "A group of them have recently awakened and wish to enslave or eliminate all of humanity. A meeting is to be held in a town called Aurnion to discuss an alliance for confronting those Entelexeia. We will be aided by Entelexeia opposing that group, and we'd like to ask for Rosekstan's assistance."

"Of course the answer's going to be no!" Matilda snapped. "We could handle those things on our own!"

"Now, now. Don't be so hasty, Matilda," Logi said, glancing at her. He looked at the Shadow Wielders again. "These...Entelexeia, you called them? They must be a powerful force if a world alliance is needed."

"That's right," Shu replied. "They're capable of destroying entire cities in an instant. They're as powerful as the Legion of Elite Species, maybe even stronger. That's why we need the entire world to work together to fight them off!" This got Logi and Matilda's attention.

"Creatures as powerful as the Legion of Elite Species?!" Logi exclaimed. "This is dire news indeed."

"We haven't had any problems with them, though," Matilda said.

"But they're crazy strong, mira!" Marumira exclaimed.

"Even old ones like Fusrodah, tora!" Marutora added.

"Uh, they don't know who he is," Kluke said to the two, sweatdropping.

"You'll have problems soon enough, though," Shu continued to tell Logi. "It's only a matter of time."

"I've heard Nirvana fell to a catastrophic attack. I assume then that was the work of these Entelexeia?" Logi said.

"One Entelexeia, to be exact," Jiro corrected him. "One was enough to level that entire city."

"And that's why you guys need to show up at the meeting!" Bouquet insisted.

"General, please!" Andropov pleaded.

"Hmm..." Logi murmured, putting a hand to his chin. "This does sound serious."

"General! You can't seriously be considering attending this meeting!" Matilda exclaimed. "What if- -"

Her sentence was interrupted when an explosion sounded, rocking the entire base. The lights flickered and a few sparks flew from some of the equipment as the people in the room were almost knocked off their feet.

"Wh-what was that?!" Bouquet stammered, latching onto Shu, much to the boy's displeasure.

A soldier scrambled through the doors into the room, stumbling as another tremor shook the room. "General! We're under attack!"

"By who?!" Logi demanded.

"A large monster is taking out our defenses one by one!" the soldier replied shakily. "We're taking heavy losses trying to stop it!"

"Looks like we're all in this together now," Jiro said, glancing at Logi. Logi grit his teeth in frustration and turned to Matilda.

"Get the Sleipnirs ready and have all battle personel at the ready!"

"Yes, sir!" Matilda replied, saluting, before heading out the room with the soldier following close behind. Logi turned his attention to the Shadow Wielders.

"You guys can leave now. We can handle this on our own."

"What?!" Bouquet exclaimed. "That thing's too powerful to take on!"

"She's right!" Kluke agreed. "What you need to do is have everyone evacuate! The base won't last for much longer!"

"I don't need you telling me what to do!" Logi snapped. "Leave now! You'll just get in the way!"

"General! Please don't do this!" Andropov exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, Andropov, but I won't let this base fall," Logi replied, a hint of sorrow in his gaze as he looked at the boy.

"If you insist on fighting it, everybody could lose their lives!" Shu insisted.

"Then we'll make sure to drive off the beast to ensure that doesn't happen." With that, Logi left the room, leaving the Shadow Wielders behind.

"What do we do now, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"We help them out, that's what we'll do!" Shu replied.

"You can't be serious!" Jiro protested. "You know Logi won't approve of that at all! He'll more than likely attack us as well!"

"But I can't just stand around doing nothing!" Shu retorted, dashing out the door.

"Wait, Shu!" Bouquet called out, running after him.

"That guy just doesn't know how to sit still," Kluke grumbled. "Let's follow them!"

"Right!" the others replied, the group headed out. As they made it outside, they saw Bouquet and Hippo merging with Blue Dragon. Ahead, Rosekstan was fighting the attacking Entelexeia.

"Hey... isn't that...?" Kluke started, covering her mouth with one hand.

"It's one of the Entelexeia that attacked during the battle!" Jiro finished grimly. "A turtle with three tails...that must be Isobu!"

Isobu roared, pulling into his shell as the Sleipnirs and robots launched a series of attacks on the Entelexeia. When there was a small break in the attack, Isobu lashed out one of his tails, swatting down a few robots.

"Let's go, Blue Dragon!" Shu shouted, leaping onto his Shadow's shoulder.

"Now you're talking!" Blue Dragon replied with a satisfied smirk.

"Shu! Don't be hasty!" Kluke called out, but Shu didn't listen. Blue Dragon flew off in the direction of the fighting, Kluke facepalming. "I swear, one of these days I'll...!" Letting out a few curses, she summoned Phoenix, the others following her lead and summoning their Shadows.

Shu and Blue Dragon reached the site of the fighting. He noticed that Odin and Zephyr were summoned, but Isobu knocked them away as if they were a couple of flies.

"Don't underestimate me!" Isobu growled, launching a beam of water at Odin.

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted, Blue Dragon's energy beam canceling out Isobu's attack, getting the attention of Logi.

"What are you doing here?!" he demanded. Shu leapt off of Blue Dragon to face Logi.

"You can't handle this all on your own!" Shu insisted. "Let us help!"

Before Logi could protest, Isobu let out a deafening roar, lunging forward and grabbing Odin before slamming the Shadow down into the ground, both Odin and Logi letting out a pained cry.

"General!" Matilda exclaimed, Zephyr dashing forward and slamming his sword down on Isobu's hand, causing Isobu to reel back, releasing Odin. The other Shadow Wielders arrived, standing next to Shu.

"I thought I told you all to leave this to us!" Logi growled.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that. You need our help!" As if to back Shu's words up, a battleship flying overhead was destroyed by an energy beam released from the Entelexeia.

"Dammit!" Logi spat. "Do whatever you want, but if anything bad happens to you, you're on your own. Matilda! Let's hurry up and win this!" As Logi and Matilda took off, the Shadow Wielders turned their attention to Isobu.

"Waves of Rage!" Jiro shouted. However, the barrage of punches didn't seem to have an effect on the massive turtle thanks to his thickly armored shell. Instead, the attack only seemed to infuriate the beast. Isobu opened his mouth, charging an energy beam and aiming it a Minotaur.

"Eternal Breath!"

"Rock Weapon!"

The two attacks launched by Phoenix and Albiheim managed to cancel the charging as they made contact with Isobu's face.

"Sonic Scissors!" Saber-Tiger quickly slashed at Isobu's head while the Entelexeia was momentarily blinded by the previous attacks. Logi used Gungnir Rising, but the attack aimed at Isobu's shell left only a minor scratch.

When Isobu recovered, he leapt up, spinning around and whipping his tails out, repelling the attacks aimed at him. As they were flying back, Marumira had Cerberus fire a Tri-Beam, the attack having a greater effect with Isobu in the air and managing to knock the Entelexeia down.

"Ice Spear!" Marutora shouted, Kraken opening her mouth and firing multiple icicles, aiming for the hide in between the two halves of Isobu's shell. The attack managed to pierce the hide slightly, causing a little blood to leak out.

Isobu roared, swinging his tails to bat away one of the Sleipnirs and managing to take it down, the pilot escaping just before the suit blew up. He then opened his mouth, charging an Aer Bomb.

"Oh no!" Kluke gasped.

"He's aiming for the base!" Jiro exclaimed.

"This doesn't look good!" Kraken said. Just as Isobu fired the ball of highly condensed aer, Blue Dragon had just finished charging his attack.

"Blue Flare Evolution!" Shu shouted, Blue Dragon firing a blue energy beam from the tip of his bladed shield at the Aer Bomb, forcing it off-target and instead having it land in the ocean, the ball of aer exploding, the blast almost as large as the island itself, leaving Logi and the rest of Rosekstan baffled as they stared awe-struck at the blast.

"No way..." Matilda whispered.

"That's the power...of the Entelexeia?!" Logi gasped.

"Good job, Shu!" Kluke called to the boy.

"Damn you!" Isobu growled, charging at Blue Dragon and Shu. "Take this!"

Blue Dragon lifted his shield to block the punch from Isobu. However, the force of the attack sent Blue Dragon flying back, the Shadow crashing into the trees. Isobu opened is mouth, charging yet another Aer Bomb, ignoring the attacks from Rosekstan and the Shadow Wielders.

"Shu! Get away!" Jiro shouted. Isobu was about to fire the ball of aer when he hesitated, the attack disappearing.

"Huh?" Shu murmured, everyone watching as Isobu's expression turned to frustration and disbelief.

"Lord Jennuir, you can't be serious!" Isobu's growled suddenly. "I can finish this no problem!"

"Who is he talking to?" Andropov muttered.

"Remember? The Entelexeia can communicate telepathically," Kluke reminded him.

"...Yes, My Lord. I understand..." Isobu sighed. He spun around, diving into the ocean, leaving everyone shocked and confused.

"Did we win, maro?" Marumaro asked.

"Seems more like he let us go," Jiro said.

"I wonder why?" Kluke murmured.

"At least that big meanie's gone now, tora!" Marutora cheered. Blue Dragon and Shu rejoined the others, Bouquet and Hippo separating from the Shadow.

"I'm lost. Why did he leave like that?" Bouquet asked.

"It seems that Jennuir ordered him to for some strange reason," Andropov replied. He turned to see Logi and Matilda heading for them, their Shadows having already vanished. The group did the same, approaching the two.

"So that was an Entelexeia?" Logi asked.

"That's right," Shu replied. "And there are dozens, probably hundreds of others under Jennuir's command."

"Now I see why a world alliance is needed," Logi said. "Very well. Rosekstan will attend the meeting."

"Thank you," Shu said. "It's in two more days. We'll tell you how to get to Aurnion from here."  
\------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dammit! I can't take this waiting around anymore!" Hope exclaimed. It was noon and she was getting antsy.

"Would you quiet down already?" Leon growled. "The meeting's tomorrow, so calm down."

"But can't stop wondering whether or not Flynn's in danger!" Hope protested.

"He's been coming back fine every day now," Leon said. "And they'll need to wrap up the search today."

"But it's unbearable that I can't be there to help him if anything does happen!"

"For the love of all things, would you shut up already?!"

"How 'bout you?!" Hope retorted. "Sometimes, I wish I could just...!"

"Shush! Didn't you hear that?" Leon said.

"Hear what?" If he was going to try playing this little game with her, he had another thing coming. However, she noticed Leon had a serious look on his face.

"I heard something bump the ship." Leon replied. He got up out of the bed, wincing slightly, and headed out of the cabin.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Hope called out after him. She sighed, grumbling a few curses, before following him. When she got outside, she saw Leon staring wide-eyed over the ship.

"What in the world...?" he murmured in disbelief. Curiosity got the better of her and Hope joined him. What she saw made her heart stop.

A gigantic gray turtle with three tails was coming out of the water and walking onto the shore, ignoring the ship and instead entering the mountains.

After a couple minutes, Hope recovered enough from the shock to speak. "That was an Entelexeia! Flynn and the others are in danger!"

"What do you expect us to do?!" Leon demanded. "We're dead if we go up against that thing the way we are now!"

"I'm going out there!" Hope stated. "I need to warn Fl- -"

"Why are you two out here?"

Hope and Leon both jumped, turning their heads. Flynn was on the ship, heading toward them. The rest of Leon's brigade was boarding.

"What are you doing back here so early?!" Hope exclaimed.

"We need to leave now if we want to make it to Aurnion in time," Flynn replied. "Now answer my question."

"An Entelexeia just went into the mountains," Hope told him grimly. Flynn's eyes widened.

"An Entelexeia?!"

"Were you able to find anything in the mountains?" Leon asked. Flynn shook his head.

"Unfortunately not. There's no sign of settlement by Entelexeia."

"And yet one just went in there," Hope pointed out.

"Well, we didn't get to investigate the entire mountain chain," Flynn admitted. "Perhaps we missed something."

"If this alliance is successful, we should be able to investigate the rest of the mountains," Hope said. Flynn nodded

"Yes. In any case, let's head to Aurnion. If this is a success, we'll decide what to do from here. Now, let's get moving."


	15. Pantarei

"Lord Jennuir, why did you have me retreat?" Isobu asked. He and the other eight of the Tailed Beasts were in a cavern once again, facing Jennuir.

"Because we have found out that the humans of the world plan to ally themselves with Alrodoh's Entelexeia," Jennuir replied. "We must have everyone in here at once. Humans were searching for us here in these mountains, and on top of that, one of the enemy Entelexeia sent a scout to search for us. We cannot risk our location to be found out, which is why I called for everyone to come back as soon as possible."

"I see. They're trying to take the fight here on our territory," Kokuo murmured. "But I highly doubt they'll even be able to reach this location."

"If any one of us had been spotted, that could have led them to the Phantom Rift here," Jennuir said. "With any luck, everyone came back without being tailed. We need all preparations to be finished before all of us make our move."

"We seem to be doing a lot of running and hiding. I'm starting to get tired of it," Son Goku commented.

"Not for long," Jennuir replied with a sneer. "Once this war is over, they shall be the ones running and hiding. However, until we're ready, we must stay discreet. It's only a matter of time before the ruling of the world will belong to us once again."

\-----------------------------------------------  
Flynn, Hope, Leon, and his brigade were the first in the group to arrive in Aurnion. When they got there, Ioder and a few members of the Council were already awaiting them.

"I still don't see why we need to put up with the people we just fought with," one councilman was grumbling.

"It's because we all share a common enemy," Flynn replied. "We'll all be wiped out by Jennuir if w can't work together."

"And that's why I hope this meeting will go the way we need it to," Ioder agreed. "We've already prepared the HQ for the meeting, so all we need to do now is to wait for everyone else."

The next to show up were Kaufman, Natz and Harry. Accompanying Harry were Katrina, Caius, and two other guildmen, while Natz had brought three of his men along and Kaufman had come alone.

"Kate..." Hope murmured when the group came up to Aurnion HQ, but Katrina simply shot Hope an icy glare, all signs of the girl Hope once knew gone. Duke showed up a few minuted later, entering the building without a word. Half an hour later, some of the leaders of the various kingdoms arrived, along with Dr. Tarkovsky, Purimura, Conrad, Sui, and the Shadow Wielders.

"So it went well then," Flynn said when the Shadow Wielders came up to the building.

"Yeah, and you're not gonna believe who else is coming," Kluke replied. As if on cue, Logi, Matilda, and a few other soldiers of Rosekstan entered the town, a Knight guiding them to the HQ.

"You're joking! I can't believe he agreed to come!" Hope exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. But it took an Entelexeia attack to convince him," Shu said.

"Hold on, you guys encountered an Entelexeia?!" Flynn demanded.

"Yeah, that three tailed tortoise, Isobu," Jiro replied. "It gave up on the attack and left. We think it was because of an order from Jennuir."

"That's the same one Leon and I saw at the Truffdae Mountains," Hope murmured to Flynn.

"Then those mountains must be where they're hiding," Flynn replied. He glanced up at the sound of a howl, seeing Ba'ul drop Brave Vesperia off. Estelle was the first to greet them.

"You made it back safe!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad."

"Hey, do either of you guys know a Knigh Captain named Emilio?" Yuri asked, scratching his head.

"I don't recall any captains named Emilio," Flynn replied. "Why?"

"Oh, his sister wanted to see him," Yuri said. "She'd heard that he'd gone with you two." He gestured with his thumb to the ship, where a black-haired woman was getting off.

"Hey! It's Rutee!" Hope exclaimed. Rutee dashed over to the two Knights.

"Hey, Hope, have you seen my brother around?" Rutee asked.

"Why is she with you guys?" Flynn asked. Yuri scratched his head.

"Well..."

\- - - Flashback - - -

"Yuri! I'm glad to see you found the time to stop by!" Hanks exclaimed. Yuri decided for the group to take a quick stop in Zaphias so he could check up on the lower quarter.

"Yeah, but we've got to head out to Aurnion tomorrow," Yuri replied. "There's gonna be a meeting held there for a world alliance."

"Ho boy. What mess did you step into this time?" Hanks sighed, shaking his head.

"Meh, just an upcoming war to decide the fate of the world," Yuri said, shrugging. 

"Never a dull moment with Yuri around," someone from the lower quarter laughed.

"Ain't that the truth," Rita grumbled, crossing her arms. 

"Hm? Someone's coming," Judith said, glancing up the road leading to the public quarter. A woman with black hair and wearing some rather revealing clothing was dashing down it, headed for the group.

"Glad I found you guys!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, do we know you?" Yuri asked.

"I doubt it," the woman replied. "I'm Rutee Katrea. My brother's in the Knights and I need to talk to him. He's gone on a mission with the Commandant, and it's pretty well-known you and the Commandant are best friends, so I figured you could take me to see him."

"Why?!" Rita demanded.

"Our father, Hugo Gilchrist, is fuming because Emilio left on the mission without telling him. So he told me to find him and drag the brat's ass home."

"Hold on," Karol said. "Isn't Hugo Gilchrist the president of the Oberon Company? The group that supplies Fortunes Market with goods?"

"You got it!" Rutee beamed. "So, can you take me?"

"Well, if Emilio's with Flynn and Hope, he'll probably show up in Aurnion with them. We could take her with us to Aurnion," Estelle said. Yuri sighed. He knew that Estelle wouldn't say no to Rutee.

"Fine, fine. But the moment you get on our nerves, we're dropping you off into the ocean!" Yuri told Rutee.

"Yuri!" Estelle exclaimed. "You need to be nice!"

"You don't have to worry about me!" Rutee grinned. Yuri groaned.

"Then why don't I feel any better about this...?"

\- - - End Flashback - - -

"So where is he?" Rutee asked.

"In there," Hope replied, gesturing inside. As soon as Rutee entered the building, Hope glanced at Yuri. "You guys might wanna check your wallets, too." Before anyone could ask what she meant by that, she went inside.

"Check our wallets...?" Yuri murmured, pulling his out. That's when he found that 500 Gald had mysteriously vanished. "Don't tell me that bitch...!"

\--------------------------------------------  
Hope found Rutee looking around, frustration etched in her face.

"It's so crowded in here!" she whined.

"Here, I'll find him," Hope sighed.

"Thanks," Rutee replied. "Call me if you find the brat." Hope smirked at Rutee's comment, walking off. She found Leon sitting down in a chair on the far side of the room, arms crossed.

Hope approached him, a smirk on her face. "Hey there Emilio. Your big sis is looking for you."

"You can tell her to... Wait, what did you just call me?"

Hope's grin widened and it took everything she had not to crack up. "Why? Is there something wrong with me calling you that...Emilio?"

Leon shot up from his seat, looking more pissed off than ever. "How'd you learn that?!"

"Take a guess."

"That damn... I can't believe her!" Leon growled. "Where is she?!"

A small snort managed to slip from Hope as she lead the teen to his sister. As soon as Rutee came into view, Leon stormed up to her.

"I thought I told you not to tell anyone my real name!" Leon snarled.

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch, brat," Rutee replied. "Unlike you right now, I'm not announcing it to the entire world."

"Why'd you come here anyway?!"

"Father's pissed that you didn't say a word to him about leaving on a mission," Rutee answered. "He wants you home now."

"You can tell him I'll do whatever I please!" Leon spat, before turning around and storming off.

Rutee huffed. "Well, that went better than I expected. I thought his outburst would last longer.

"Why doesn't he like his real name?" Hope asked. "And don't give me that bullshit reason that he's embarrassed by it. I can tell there's more to it than that."

Rutee sighed. "His real name, like I said, is Emilio Gilchrist. Heir to the Oberon Company."

"Hope blinked a few times. "Why aren't you the next to inherit the company? You're the first born."

"True, but Father feels like I'd bankrupt the company in the first month I'm in charge, and he's probably right. And even though I'd get a lot of money doing it, I don't think running a business is my calling. So I changed my surname to Katrea, which belonged to my late mother, Chris Katrea. Anyway, that would make Emilio the next to run the company, but he wasn't too thrilled with the idea, either. But Father wasn't giving him a choice. So he and Emilio struck a deal. Emilio would get to change his name so that everyone wouldn't look at him as the next president of the Oberon company and in return, he'd run the company when it's his turn."

"I'm pretty sure he's walking right into an identity crisis here," Hope commented.

"That's what I said to him as well. And then he told me to throw myself off a cliff," Rutee replied with a sigh. "He can be a real handfull most days."

"So, how are you going to get Leon to come back with you?"

"I won't. Once you guys get back to Zaphias, I'll just let Father deal with him."

"Sounds like a good plan, because I honestly don't think anyone could get him to do anything they say."  
\----------------------------------------------

The meeting began, everyone taking their seats. Yuri, Repede, Judith, Karol, Rita, Raven, Patty, and the Shadow Wielders all stood near the door, listening in to the discussion.

"...I say that during the alliance, blastia should be distibuted to the kingdoms as well," Flynn was saying. "That way, our overall strength will be increased.

"There's a problem with that, though," Ioder replied. "There aren't enough blastia to be able to supply every soldier in the kingdoms."

"Can't you guys just make some blastia bodies and show them how to make pacts with spirits?" Kaufman suggested.

"The mages in Aspio won't be able to produce that many in so little time," Ioder said, shaking his head.

"Even without these blastia you use, we should be able to hold our own," Dr. Tarkovsky said. "Our Knight Masters can help to train our soldiers."

"What about a joint training session?" Harry suggested. "We could pass along fighting techniques amongst ourselves. This way, everyone involved in the fighting could learn something new that can mean the difference between life and death for them."

"And we should have survivors of the Great War pass along advice and fighting tactics for dealing with Entelexeia," Hope added, glancing at Raven.

"If I hafta..." Raven sighed.

"Fortunes Market should be able to supply enough goods for everyone," Kaufman said.

"We'll also need to learn about your world in greater depth," the king of Subaru said. "That way, we'll be able to fight as if it's our home turf."

"My informants will aid in finding the lair of our enemy," Sui added.

"We actually think we know the general area those Entelexeia are hiding," Flynn said, everyone in the room looking at him with surprise. "Hope and Leon spotted one of Jennuir's Entelexeia entering the Truffdae Mountains. We believe that they're dwelling somewhere in the mountain chain."

"That information will help greatly," Sui said. "I'll send out informants to scope the area as soon as possible. I'll pass along any information we get to everyone as soon as we get it."

"I could send out some Black Shadow units for defending those informants," Logi said. "

"That would be mot appreciated," Sui replied.

"So, are we all in agreement with a world alliance?" Ioder asked.

"Palestralle will join," Natz replied, Harry nodding in agreement.

"The Union will as well."

The kingdoms attending all agreed as well.

"Rosekstan will aid in the effort too," Logi said.

"I see. As of today, a world alliance has been established," Ioder declared. "We'll meet here again to discuss in greater detail what our plan for this war will be."

"Wait," Duke said. Everyone turned to look at him. "Before this meeting comes to a close, I would like to confirm your intentions for Alrodoh's Entelexeia should we win this war. Will you allow them to live in peace, or will you hunt them down and slaughter them?"

"Why are you asking this?" Dr. Tarkovsky asked.

"During the last Great War, victory was given to the humans thanks to the Entelexeia under Elucifur's leadership. However, the Empire feared his power and killed him. What will stop you from doing the same to the Entelexeia that will aid you?" Duke asked.

"I give you my word that those Entelexeia will remain safe," Ioder replied, the others of Terca Lumires nodding.

"Yeah, we've learned now that some Entelexeia can be trusted," Hope added. Duke glanced at her, and for a second, she saw something flicker in his red eyes.

"If they do not assault us, we will leave them be," Dr. Tarkovsky said. All the leaders of the kingdoms and Logi murmured their agreements.

"You'd better keep your word," Duke said. Ioder spoke up again.

"If that's all, then this meeting will now come to a close."

\-------------------------------------------------------  
As the people began to leave the building, Duke approached Flynn and Hope.

"I would like to speak with Hope in private," he stated, glancing at Flynn. "It shouldn't take too long."

"Is that alright with you?" Flynn asked Hope. Hope nodded and Flynn joined the others leaving the building, leaving Duke and Hope alone.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Hope asked. Duke pulled out a chair, sitting down in it.

"You may want to sit down," Duke replied, making Hope wonder if talking with him was going to be a good idea. She did as he asked though, sitting herself in a chair across the table from the man.

"So, what is it?" Hope prompted. Duke stared at her for a few moments before replying.

"So, you're true name is Hope?"

"Yeah, what about it?" The way Duke was looking at her made Hope a little uneasy.

"Do you remember your parents?" Duke asked, taking Hope by surprise.

"Talk about out of the blue!" she exclaimed. "Where'd that come from?!"

"There was a girl I knew who had the same name, eye color, and hair color as you. I'm wondering if you're that same girl," Duke replied. "Do you remember your mother?"

"My...mother?" Hope said, cocking her head. "She died when I was around three. From what I can remember, she always had her hair up in a bun."

"What about your father?" Duke's crimson eyes seemed to bore into Hope, making the woman nervous. Why was he asking these questions?!

"He left shortly before my mother died," Hope replied. "All I remember from then is he and Mother having a huge arguement before he just walked out the door."

"I see..." Duke murmured.

"Is there a point to these questions?" Hope asked.

"I just need to ask one more question," Duke replied. "What was your mother's name?"

"Her name?" Hope echoed. "Uhhh...I think I remember my father saying it at one point. It was... M... Ma... Ma..."

"Mai?" Duke finished, surprising Hope.

"Yeah! It was Mai! How'd you know?"

"Because I knew Mai very well. We had known each other since we were children," Duke replied.

"If you know my mother, then do you know who my father was?" However, as soon as the words left Hope's lips, her brain began to process the bits and pieces from her dreams and at that moment, she began to dread what Duke was about to tell her.

"I do know who your father was," Duke said. "When Mai married, her surname became Pantarei."

"Then...that means..."

"That's right, Hope. Your birth name is Hope Pantarei."  
\----------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm glad we finally got that over with," Yuri said with a long sigh. "I honestly thought fighting would break out."

"When everyone is faced with the same threat, it's only natural for them to join together," Judith pointed out. "Everyone figured out that unless they all work together, humanity will be wiped out."

"Like with what happened when the Adephagos appeared," Karol said. "The Empire and the guilds worked together for the very first time."

"Everyone will probably go back to killing each other after this is all over, though," Rita said.

"Hopefully everyone will still be alive to fight," Jiro said.

"Great, this upcoming war was missing a looming sense of doom," Andropov grumbled.

"I wonder what Duke wanted to talk to Hope about?" Bouquet said, glancing back at Aurnion HQ.

"I have a feeling it's not going to be something good," Flynn replied grimly. Yelling broke out, getting everyone's attention.

"For the thousandth time, no!" Leon shouted. Rutee put her hands to her hips.

"C'mon! If you keep running off like this without telling anyone, you're going to have a lot more problems down the road."

"Like you're one to talk."

"What was that?!"

Everyone in the group sweatdropped as the siblings continued their arguement.

"Maybe now's not the best time for me to demand my Gald back," Yuri sighed.

"Anyway, did you guys run into any trouble, Yuri?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah, we actually ran into one of Jennuir's Entelexeia. Mo'ang, I think his name was," Yuri replied.

"We ran into Isobu," Shu said to the swordsman. He glanced at Flynn. "What about you?"

"No Entelexeia, although Hope and Leon got into a scrap with a Pterobronc in Mt. Temza," Flynn replied. "They were seriously injured during the fight, but the Leon Brigade and I managed to finish it off."

"At least those two seem ta be doin' alright now," Raven said.

"Yes, but now we have a larger issue to deal with," Yuri said grimly.

"That's right," Flynn agreed. "Jennuir."  
\---------------------------------------------------------------

Hope was glad she was sitting down. If she were standing, she would have fallen flat on her ass at the news she just got.

"Th-there's...just no way..." she whispered in disbelief. "Duke...you can't be my father...!"

"I understand this may be difficult for you to accept, but it's true," Duke said.

"If it is true, then why did you leave us?!" Hope shouted.

"I had recently stolen the sword Dein Nomos and the Empire was hunting me down. I had to leave and I needed to make it seem like I didn't want anything more to do with the family. I knew that if I had told Mai the truth, she would have followed me anyway. This was the only way to ensure you and your mother's safety."

"Why did you steal Dein Nomos?!" Hope demanded.

"You'll need to understand what your mother and I were trying to accomplish first," Duke replied. "When we were children, we encountered a pack of monsters as we wandered outside of the barrier. Just before they went in for the kill, the Entelexeia, Elucifur, came to our aid, killing those monsters instead. He told us that even though we were humans, he couldn't stand idly by and watch children be ripped apart."

"So that's how you met Elucifur then," Hope murmured.

"Correct. From then on, we took an interest in the Entelexeia and took every chance we could to learn about them. That's also when we learned how blastia cores were made. The Entelexeia would be hunted simply for their apatheia. They tried their best to avoid interacting with humans, but humans still treated them like monsters in order to justify their hunting. We decided to do everything in our power to protect the Entelexeia. Later, your mother and I married and three years later, we had a daughter."

"Me..." Hope whispered.

"We gave you a name: Hope. We gave you that name as a symbol of the hopes we held for a day when humans and Entelexeia can live together in peace. We had hoped that if we couldn't do it, you could," Duke said.

"But what does this have to do with you stealing Dein Nomos?" Hope asked.

"It got to the point where I felt that drastic measures needed to be taken. For defending the Entelexeia, I stole to sword, Dein Nomos, and hoped to use it's power to protect the Entelexeia. After the Great War, I decided to return and explain everything to Mai, but when I got there, the house had been burnt to the ground. That's where I found your mother's remains. It seems that the house was destroyed during the conflict in the war. Even though I found no trace of you, I had assumed you had died as well. And when Elucifer was murdered later, I cut my ties to humanity and allied myself with the Entelexeia. When we fought at Tarquaron, I didn't think for a second you could be my daughter."

Hope covered her face with one hand, trying to take in everything she just heard. "Dammit, I just don't know what to think anymore..."

"Hope, look at me," Duke said. Hope did as she was told and Duke studied her face for a few moments. "You have your mother's eyes and face."

"Is that all you have to say?!" Hope demanded. "For 17 years, I lived as an orphan, believing my parents to both be dead, and now you come out and tell me you're my father?! God dammit, why the hell should I even believe you?!"

However, despite her doubts, Hope could see the love in Duke's eyes despite her harsh words, which only made her angrier. Snarling, Hope got out of her seat and left the building, slamming the door behind her.

\------------------------------------------------------------  
Flynn snapped his head around at the sound of a door slamming, seeing a pissed off Hope storming over to the group. The blonde could hear her growling every curse under the sun. The others in the group, including Leon and Rutee, noticed this as well.

"Looks like Ms. Snarly's done with her little chat," Leon sneered. To everyone's surprise, Hope was in front of Leon in no time and, before the teen could react, punched him hard in the face, sending him sprawling back into the dirt, holding a bloodied nose.

"Damn! I've never seen her get that mad!" Yuri exclaimed. Rutee dashed over to her brother, the sister part of her showing.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked.

"I will be when my damn nose stops bleeding!" Leon snapped. His violet eyes switched to Hope. "What the hell was that all about?!"

"Say one more word, and I swear I'll run you through with my sword," Hope growled. This threat got Leon to shut up, since the tone of her voice suggested she wasn't joking.

"Something must've happened during her talk with Duke," Shu said.

"No kidding, and whatever it was got her pissed. And here I though Judy was the scariest out of all of us," Yuri agreed.

"I've never seen her look that scary, maro!" Marumaro whimpered. Marumira and Marutora clung onto him, both of them shaking fearfully.

Flynn was the only one brave enough to approach Hope, going up behind her and wrapping his arms around her, to calm her down and to prevent her from accidentally lashing out at him.

"Hope, calm down and tell me what happened," he whispered in her ear. To everyone's amazement, Hope leaned into the embrace, tears cascading from her golden eyes.

"Dammit, I don't know what I should believe anymore!" she managed to say, turning around and burying her face in Flynn's chest.

"Now I really wanna know what happened between Duke an' Hope," Raven commented.

"That girl goes through so many mood swings. I wonder if she may be pregnant," Yuri smirked. Hope shot him a glare icy even for her.

"Oh, that would be perfect! I'll bet Duke would be delighted to be a grandfather!"

That retort shut everyone up, even Leon, who had been cursing under his breath as Rutee tried to stop the bleeding.

"...Huh?!" everyone exclaimed in unison, finally breaking the silence.

"What the hell did Duke say to you?!" Shu asked, baffled.

"Oh, not much," Hope growled in a sarcastic tone. "Just that it turns out he's my long-lost father."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Raven exclaimed. "I never heard anythin' 'bout Duke havin' a lover, much less him havin' a daughter!"

"Sure you even heard him right?" Yuri asked. "He might have actually said he knows your father."

"No, he's my father alright," Hope grumbled. "In the faint memories that have come back of my father were that he had long silver hair with curled ends and a deep voice. And the look he'd been giving me the entire time we were talking confirmed it."

"I see," Flynn said. He held her tighter, trying his best to comfort her. "This must be quite a shock to you. Why don't we go to our lodging her and relax."

"And I need you guys to help me bring this kid back to Zaphias," Rutee stated to Yuri and the others.

"Hell no! I'm not about to go crawling back to Father now!" Leon spat. "I'd even go with the Commandant and everyone else if it means not getting to hear one of his stupid lectures!"

"WHAT?!" That was Hope, who had heard everything as Flynn was leading her to their quarters in Aurnion.

"If that's what you want, then fine," Flynn said, glancing back at the swordsman. "With any luck, being stuck together could help you and Hope finally bury the hatchet."

"Sir! You can't be serious! That kid drives me up the wall! Why do I have to..." Hope's voice faded as Flynn continued to lead her away, making he rest of the group sweatdrop.

"Are you really serious about this?" Rutee asked, staring at her younger brother.

"As much as I'll hate it, it's better than the alternative. Go tell Father that despite his wishes, I'm not going to be back for awhile."

"Sorry, can't do that," Rutee said with a sly grin. Leon's eyes widened.

"You can't mean that..."

"Yup, I'm coming along too!"

"Dammit!" Leon spat.

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Raven said.

"Yeah, but too many people get to be a headache," Yuri grumbled.

"I think we have too many people as it is," Judith pointed out.

"Good point," Yuri admitted with a sigh. "This is gonna be a long war for me..."  
\-------------------------------------------------

"Have you calmed down now?" Flynn asked. He and Hope were sitting down on their bed in their cabin. Hope let out a long groan.

"First, Duke tells me he's my father, and then you let that ass come with us..."

"I'm sure that by the time this war is over, you and Leon'll be getting along."

"Yeah, and rappigs will fly," Hope grumbled. "And I don't know what to do about Duke either."

"That's something you and he will have to work out yourselves. I'm afraid this is something I can't assist you with," Flynn murmured. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. "Just remember that no matter what happens, I'll be here for you if things go south."

Hope turned her head to face him. "Thanks, Flynn."

"It's not like you to be so down. I want you to cheer up," Flynn said, cupping her face and pressing his lips to hers. Hope returned the kiss, placing one hand on his back and the other on the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his soft blonde hair.

Before things could escalate, there was a knock on the door, Flynn and Hope breaking apart suddenly, both their faces immitating tomatoes.

"C-come in," Flynn stammered. The door opened, Yuri walking in with a smirk on his face.

"Sorry to interrupt your little intimate moment, but there's something you need to know."

"What is it now?" Hope growled, still blushing.

"Rutee's decided she's coming with us," Yuri replied, making Hope facepalm.

"One's bad enough; both'll be a nightmare!"

"So, what's the plan for now?" Yuri asked.

"We'll be staying here tonight and tomorrow we'll have another meeting to dicuss our plans for this war. Have Judith get Ba'ul to tell Octavia and the others that we'll be ready soon," Flynn replied.

"Gotcha. Here's hoping we live through this war."


	16. The Night Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'm trying to get this down despite my brain injury. For the whole thing, go to my profile page on fanfiction. Please forgive me if I make more mistakes than usual. Since this is on my laptop instead of my Xbox 360, I won't be able to make that apostrophe over the "e". So, "Muzet" will just have a regular "e".

In a dark abyss, six spirits appeared. One was an old man with gray skin and thin framed glasses. He had a long white beard and a long black robe. The second was a yellow fox with six long blue tails each tipped with green. He had piercing red eyes. The third was a woman with long, sky-blue hair. She had golden eyes and was wearing a long, light-blue dress. Her skin was pale-white with a tiny hint of blue. A giant white snowflake was right behind her. The fourth was a human-like spirit, except he had long white hair that branched out in two and at the top it tuffed up and looked like pointed cat ears. His arms ended in black clawed hands and each arm had a blade on it. His les ended in points and instead of a tail, there were two blade-lke things hanging down. He had golden eyes and brown skin. The fifth was a maiden-like woman with pale skin. She was laying on a large, yellow crescent moon and was holding in her right hand a large staff with a crescent moon on it. The sixth was a woman with long silver hair, with a hint of blue with yellow ends and green eyes. She wore a long light-blue dress and had six white wing-like protrusions coming out of her back, three on each side.

"How will we deal with Jennuir?" the sixth, the spirit of time-space, Muzet asked.

"If he can be dealt with," the fourth, the spirit of time, Chronos laughed.

"We need to believe they can do it!" the fifth, the spirit of the moon, Luna pleaded.

"That's what we thought during the Draconian Civilization. Now look where we are!" Chronos retorted.

"But two worlds are working together!" the second, the spirit of heart, Verius pointed out.

"I wonder if that will be good enough..." the ruler of the elements, Maxwell said sadly.

"Not you too, Lord Maxwell!" Luna cried out.

"What do you think, Celsius?" Verius asked the third spirit. The spirit of ice, Celsius, crossed her arms and closed her eyes, thinking. When she was done, she opened her eyes again and looked at the other five.

"We should see if Pluto and Ratatosk can help," she suggested.

"The ruler of the underworld and the ruler of the Ginnunagap, plus the Lord of Monsters?!" Chronos demanded. "Why ask for their help?!"

"Because it'll mean more manpower," Celsius explained.

"But I don't get along with those two!" Chronos complained.

"You don't get along with anybody," Muzet pointed out.

"But it will just be us and eight other spirits," Maxwell said.

"Not only them, but two worlds, plus the Entelexia that stand against Jennuir," Verius replied.

"We'll see how it goes," Chronos sighed.

"With any luck it'll go well," Celsius said. "I'll go tell Pluto and Ratatosk what's happening."  
\----------------------------------------------------

"W just had another meeting," Flynn announced. "We'll strike on the first day of Lumen."

"Lumen?" Shu echoed, cocking his head in confusion.

"It's one of our months," Hope explained. "We're coming toward the end of Ignis. The season we're in is Efreeta. Next will be Ragnome."

"I'm just glad this season isn't Undis. That season is absolutely FREEZING!" Rita complained. "I would take Sylphca, Efreeta, or Ragnome over that."

"Wimp," Leon muttered. Rita turned to look at him, glaring dangerously.

"Care to repeat that?" she growled.

"Rita, calm down," Yuri told her while Patty and Estelle had to hold Rita back from lashing out at Leon.

"I'm just glad this month isn't Aqua," Hope pointed out. "I swear, it's like the Blade Drifts of Zophier!"

"I take it it's pretty cold?" Jiro asked.

"Before that is Tenebrae, and after Aqua is Glacius," Hope explained. "Aqua's probably the coldest month."

"I think it's absolutely wonderful," Judith commented. "Isn't that right, Repede?" Repede barked in agreement.

"...I'll never get how you can stand that cold," Hope muttered.

"She's barely wearing anything!" Rutee agreed.

"Like your one to talk!" Hope snapped. "Why can't you wear anything...decent?"

"It's easier to move around I this," Rutee replied with a shrug.

"So, should everyone be ready by then?" Shu asked Flynn, ignoring Hope and Rutee.

"Hopefully," Flynn replied. "Raven will help with that."

"As long as I don't get any Captain Schwann!" Raven shouted.

\---------------------------------------------  
"So, we'll dealing with Jennuir," Hope sighed. It was night in Aurion. Hope had found Flynn outside sitting on a grassy patch by himself and she decided to sit next to him.

"Maybe once this is over, we can start a family," Flynn suggested.

"Yuri would be all over our asses," Hope replied with a smirk.

"Just let him. Then he and I will have a talk," Flynn told her. "I love you, but please try to get along with Leon."

"Not this again..." Hope grumbled, getting up to leave. However, Flynn grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"Listen to me," Flynn said sternly, locking his eyes with Hope's shocked golden ones. "You and Leon have done nothing but fight! You two need to find a way to get along! You're 20 and he's 16! Be the bigger person!"

"It won't be hard since I'm 5'6", and he's 5'2.5"," Hope said with a smirk. Flynn shook his head angrily.

"You know damn well I'm not talking about height!" Flynn shouted. "I meant you need to be more mature than him!"

"It's kinda hard when he gets under my skin," she replied with a sigh. "And you have no room to talk when you and Yuri fight!"

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked with a confused stare. Hope barked with laughter and rolled her eyes before glancing back at Flynn.

"Give me a break!" the woman laughed. "You're both 22 and you fight like every day!"

"T-that's different!" Flynn stammered. Hope stared at him.

""Not really," she replied. "Before you get on other people's cases about how they get along with others, you should get your own shit together!"

"Maybe you're right," Flynn admitted. "But you and Leon need to get along! We don't need any fighting on the inside when we're about to fight in what could potentially be the 2nd Great War."

"Fine, I'll try to make nice with him," Hope sighed.

\----------------------------------------  
"Now's your chance, Jiro," Shu whispered, gesturing over to where Kluke sat alone on a grassy rise, the breeze lightly blowing her orangish-brown hair. Jiro and Shu were standing at the entrance of one of the buildings.

"I don't know if I should," Jiro admitted.

"Well, too late now!" Shu exclaimed, shoving the swordsman toward Kluke. "Go for it!"

"...I'll get you for this, Shu," Jiro growled before heading over to where Kluke was.

"Oh, Jiro. What is it?" she asked, turning her head and seeing Jiro.

"...Is it alright with you if I sit next to you?" he asked, blushing and looking away.

"I'm fine with it," Kluke replied, scooting over to make room for Jiro. He nodded, hesitantly sitting next to the ginger-haired girl.

Jiro sighed. 'I'm not any good at this sort of thing, dammit!'

"So, what is it?" the girl asked. Jiro took one glance at her and looked away.

"Do you...want to look at the stars together?" Jiro suggested.

"That sounds nice," Kluke replied, staring at the night sky with Jiro. Eventually, she yawned, laying her head on Jiro's chest. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Jiro tentavely took one arm and wrapped it around Kluke's shoulders, hugging the girl closer. Jiro smiled. He guessed he owed Shu one.

\--------------------------------------------  
"Be a little nicer!" Rutee shouted at Leon. Her hands were on her hips and a look of pure fur was written in her violet eyes. Leon huffed and looked away, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Make me!" the raven-haired teen spat back. Rutee sighed, lowering her head and some of her raven hair falling in her eyes. It was hard to talk like she was in charge of him, not just because of his behavior but also because he was a half inch taller then her. He seemed to view himself as more superior because of this.

"You'll piss everyone off if you keep acting like this," Rutee warned the Knight.

"Let them. I don't care," Leon retorted.

"You smarted off last time, and Hope taught you a lesson," Rutee reminded her brother. Leon jerked his head in Rutee's direction, looking at his older sister sharply.

"I didn't think she would punch me!" the teen exclaimed.

"That's right. You didn't think. And that's why she punched you flat on your ass!" she retorted.

"That girl has serious anger issues! Even more than Rita, and she's pretty violent on her own!" Leon commented.

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't get on everyone's nerves," Rutee pointed out. "Even Flynn might get so fed up with you, he'll just let Hope throttle you."

"That won't happen," he replied. Rutee shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes.

"I dunno. You seem to really be testing his patience. He may surprise you one day, just as Hope did," the girl said.  
\------------------------------------------------

Bouquet was by the city entrance on her own. She saw a man walking toward the blastia at the center of the city. He had long silver hair and was wearing a long black shirt. In his right hand was a light go purple sword surrounded in red energy. She recognized the man and ran to where he was.

"Duke! Wait up!" she shouted, waving her hand in the air above her head. She must have gotten his attention, because Duke spun around and stiffened, taking a defensive stance.

"What do you want?" Duke asked when Bouquet caught up to him. Tiredness was evident in his crimson eyes, but he was still on the defensive.

"I just want to talk to you," the black-haired girl replied. She led Duke over and they sat in front of the blastia, facing the entrance of the city. Bouquet was sitting at Duke's left.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Duke sighed.

"You should try talking to Hope," Bouquet suggested.

"I tried before and she got mad," the man replied.

"She ended up storming out and broke Leon's nose after he made a snide comment on how she was acting," Bouquet laughed, remembering the incident.

"You really think she would listen to me now?" Duke asked. Bouquet looked at him and nodded.

"She was probably in shock at learning you're her father," the girl replied. "I'm sure if you give it another go, it'll go much smoother."

"I wonder if it would work..." Duke mumbled. "She'll probably rant at me again."

"It's that kind of talk that prevents you from moving on!" she exclaimed, stand up and putting her hands on her hips, fixing Duke with a hard stare. "You need to work up the courage to talk to her again!"

"Talking about it is a lot easier than actually doing it..." Duke murmured. Bouquet sighed, hanging her head before sitting down again, staring up at the night sky.

"Just grow a pair and work up the nerve to talk to her again," she said. "If you don't, it'll keep eating away at you."

"Maybe I should," Duke admitted, standing up. "But if it goes wrong, it'll be your fault!"

\------------------------------------------  
Raven and Karol were standing by the inn.

"I hope yer ready," Raven said.

"Don't worry; I am," Karol replied.

"This could be the second Great War," Raven reminded him. "We could lose either the war or our lives."

"I'm aware of that," Karol told him. "What about Gauche and Droite?"

"I tried searchin' fer them, but didn't find anythin'," Raven replied.

"I guess the only thing to do is wait for them to show up," Karol said.

"I'm sure they'll pop up sooner o' later," the archer said. "Mind gettin' the fell arms?"

"I'll get them, but why?" Karol asked.

"I have a feelin' we'll need 'em," Raven replied.  
\---------------------------------------

Patty and Andropov were sitting together on a grassy hill overlooking the town.

"So, how do you feel about Kluke?" Patty asked.

"Where'd that come from?!" Andropov exclaimed, fixing Patty with a startled look.

"Just tell me!" Patty insisted.

"I don't know!" Andropov sputtered, flushing. Patty pouted, puffing out her cheeks.

"Well, you'd better make a move and soon, because Jiro made his."

"He did?" Andropov asked, staring at the pirate with curiosity. Patty pointed to where Jiro was sitting.

"See? Over there." The silver-haired boy looked where Patty was pointing. He saw Jiro, and Kluke sleeping on him.

"That bastard...!" Andropov growled, glaring at the swordsman.

"So, what'll you do?" Patty asked with a devilish grin.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind!" Andropov replied.

"How boring," Patty sighed, sitting back. "I thought you'd beat him up or something."

"If I did that, I'd probably be the one beat up," Andropov laughed.  
\------------------------------

Rita and Judith were standing by the city gates.

"Octavia should be ready by now," Judith said.

"What'll you do once this is over?" Rita asked.

"I'll probably travel all over the world with Ba'ul," the Krityan replied. "What about you?"

"I'll head back to New Aspio," Rita told her. "After all, we need to find a way to replace the barrier blastia. And maybe I'll visit Estelle..." Rita trailed off, realizing her mistake. Unfortunately, Judith heard it and was grinning widely.

"Aww, you're going to visit your friend!" Judith teased, making Rita blush.

"O-of course not!" the mage stammered. "I just need to check on Halure's tree!"

"Sounds like an excuse to visit Estelle," Judith said. This just made the mage angry.

"You shut up!" Rita spat. Judith only giggled. "It's not funny, dammit!"

"Yes it is!" Judith laughed and ran away from the stick of dynamite ready to blow. Rita sighed.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" Rita put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head.  
\--------------------------

Marumaro, Marutora, and Marumira were in a field outside of town.

"I think I've got the hang of it, mira!" Marumira exclaimed as Cerberus vanished.

"Me too, tora!" Marutora agreed while Kraken disappeared.

"Just remember this is a war, and I don't want to lose either of you, maro," Marumaro said.

"We're well aware of that, tora!" Marutora exclaimed.

"Just make sure you don't go dying, mira," Marumira said.

"Don't worry; I won't, maro," Marumaro replied.  
\---------------------------------

Yuri was sitting outside Aurnion, with Estelle to his left and Repede to his right.

"A big war is coming," Estelle said softly.

"That's right," Yuri replied. Repede barked in agreement.

"Some might not come back alive," Estelle murmured, hugging her legs together. "The Shadow Wielders, Brave Vesperia, me, Raven, Rita, Patty, Hope, Flynn-" She was cut off when Yuri slammed his fist into the ground, making Repede jump back with a surprised yelp, and earning a startled gasp from Estelle.

"Flynn will live!" Yuri growled. "He can't go dying on me!"

"I know," Estelle said softly. "He's your best friend, but he could still die in this war."

"I know..." Yuri sighed, putting his head down, his bangs covering his eyes but unable to hide the tears spilling down. Repede licked him on the cheek, trying to cheer him up while Estelle wrapped her arm around him. Yuri leaned into the embrace.

"Everything will be fine," the pink-haired princess whispered into his ear.

"...I sure hope so," Yuri mumbled.  
\-----------------------------------------------

Inside Aurnion HQ, the leaders of the worlds were gathered.

"So, as soon as the soldiers are trained, we'll attack," Logi summarized.

"Hopefully, it'll be enough," Tarkovsky said.

"Right. After all, we'll be fighting Jennuir," Purimura added.

"This could turn into another Great War," Natz added. "Even with both the Entelexia and spirits helping us, we could still lose."

"What if I were to help?"

"Help, help!" The people in the room all turned to see Delphinium and Deathroy by the door.

"What's it to you?!" Logi demanded.

"It would suck if we were all enslaved," she replied. "And I'm bored, now that Jiro isn't trying to kill me."

"Kill me, kill me!" Deathroy parroted.

"Well, the more help we have, the better," Ioder said.

"You can't be serious!" Logi exclaimed.

"I don't see what the problem is with her helping," Kaufman stated.

"Oh, goody!" Delphinium cheered, smirking at Logi.

"We'll be attacking on the first of Lumen, the next month," Harry told her. "Be ready by then."

"Got it," Delphinium replied. "I'll get some beauty sleep until then. Later, Logi."

"Logi, Logi!" As Delphinium left, with Deathroy close behind, Logi scowled.

"I wonder if this was the right choice..." he growled.


	17. Duke and Mai

A few days later, the group was standing at the city entrance. Ba'ul showed up and landed the ship.

"Got 'em!" Karol shouted from the edge of the boat. He climbed down the ladder and gave the group their fell arms.

"All this waiting just for some weapons?" Leon scoffed.

"Looks like it," Hope said, forcing a smile. Rutee noticed this and whispered in her ear.

"Is it just me, or are you being overly nice to him lately?"

"It's what Flynn wanted," she grumbled. "Trust me; your brother's been really pushing it."

"I can see that," Rutee said, sweatdropping. Then she looked around. "Where's Duke?"

"Don't know and don't care," Hope huffed.

"He's your father!" the thief snapped.

"After almost a week," she retorted. "I don't feel any sort of attachment to him."

"Try talking to him," Rutee told her. "You may not get another chance."

"You're not my damned therapist!" Hope snapped.

"Keep it down!" Rita yelled. "If you're looking for Duke, he's in his sleeping quarters."

"To there, then!" Rutee cheered, grabbing Hope's arm and dragging her.

"What's the big idea?!" Hope demanded.

"You're going to talk to your father!" Rutee replied.

"But I don't wanna!" she whined.

"Too bad!" Rutee exclaimed before opening the door to Duke's cabin and throwing Hope inside. Hope gave Rutee a nasty look and the middle finger before the thief closed the door.

"Hope..." Duke murmured.

"Hello, Duke," Hope said coldly.

"Do you want to sit down and talk?" he asked, pulling out a chair.

"I don't have much of a choice," Hope grumbled, sitting down in the chair.

"Why don't you ever want to talk to me?" Duke asked.

"Because I hate you!" she huffed. She felt a surge of satisfaction when she saw how much her words hurt the man.

"Why?" the silver-haired man questioned.

"You walked out of me and my mother's lives!" she snapped. She glared at Dein Nomos. "And all because you stole that stupid sword!"

"I was just as worried about the two of you," Duke persisted.

"Yeah, right!" Hope scoffed. "If you were so worried, why didn't you try harder to find me?!"

"I thought you were dead!" he pleaded.

"And because of that, I was raised in a stupid orphanage!"

"If I hadn't left you, you'd never have met Flynn!" At that, Hope was at a loss for words.

\------------------------------------

"Hey, Raven!"

Raven looked up, eyes widening as he recognized the voice. "It can't be..." Then he turned in the direction of the voice. "Gauche!" Droite walked out from behind her.

"We want to fight you here and now," Droite added. Everyone else took a fighting stance, but Raven walked up to the girls.

"Are ya sure ya wanna do this?" he asked.

"We won't be satisfied until we defeat you!" Droite exclaimed.

"This is for Yeager and Casey!" Gauche added. Both girls took out their swords while Raven took out Divine Cannon. He gestured for everyone to stay put.

"Jus' stay outta this. I'll handle this by myself," he said.

"You sure about this?" Yuri asked.

"There's more of us than them," Patty pointed out. "I'm sure we could take 'em."

"This is between me an' them," Raven replied, getting an arrow ready. "Jus' leave 'em ta me, got it?"

"Alright..." Judith said. "But we'll step in if it looks like you're in trouble."

"Thanks, Judith darlin'," Raven threw over his shoulder as he raised his bow. The girls crouched even more, raising their swords. As Raven fired, Gauche charged, the arrow taking out a few strands of her red hair. Droite followed close behind.

"I'll send you to your death!" Gauche shouted, striking at Raven. As he dodged, Droite leapt up.

"I'm gonna poke you silly!" she said. As Raven dodged the blast of aer he fired an arrow at her. The attack knocked her on the ground.

"Droite!" Gauche exclaimed. Then she began chanting, a healing magic circle appearing under her. "Holy power- -"

"Burn in hell!" Raven shouted, using Chaotic Fury to knock Gauche back.

"How dare you!" Droite huffed. Both girls got up and went into Overlimit as well and began chanting for their Mystic Arte.

"In an instant, we echo, and our hearts- -" Before they could finish the incantation for Impact Cross, a voice sounded.

"Now what's going on?!"

"Going on, going on!" Hydra and Chimera appeared behind Gauche and Droite.

"Those Shadows..." Jiro murmured. Then his eyes widened. "It can't be...!" Delphinium stepped out, with Deathroy floating right behind her. She walked up to the two girls.

"Who the hell are you?!" Gauche demanded. Delphinium twitched one lavender eyebrow and she was enveloped in a blue light.

"Graviton Ball!" Delphinium shouted. The attack from Chimera sent Gauche and Droite flying far out of sight in the opposite direction. Everyone sweatdropped as Delphinium huffed, both Hydra and Chimera vanishing.

"Wasn't that a bit... overboard?" Shu muttered.

"I prefer someone stating their own name before asking mine," Delphinium simply replied. She turned to face the group. As she scanned them over, she realized someone was missing. "Where's the silver-haired Knight with the big mouth?" Leon snickered and Rutee slapped him.

"She's talking with Duke," Kluke replied. "At least, I'm hoping she's talking..."

"An' I called handlin' both of 'em..." Raven whined, putting his bow away. Delphinium let out a "hmph!" and explained.

"I was training when I heard explosions and they were giving me a headache!"

"So you decided to break it up..." Rita mumbled, one hand over her face and shaking her head in disbelief. "Unbelievable..."

"That's Delphinium for you," Bouquet told Rita awkwardly, shrugging. Estelle ran over to Raven.

"I'll heal you!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry 'bout it!" Raven told her. "Jus' a few scrapes."

"But- -" Estelle began to protest, but Rutee approached her, putting one hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry; I got this," the thief told her. The princess hesitated for a second then nodded. Rutee took her sword out of it's sheath hanging over her tailbone and held it near Raven. "First Aid!" A healing light closed Raven's injuries.

"Good thing we got another healer!" Yuri exclaimed. "I wonder how Duke and Hope are doing..."

\--------------------------------------------  
"I...I..." Hope stuttered. Duke was right. If he had never left, she'd never have met Flynn.

"If I'd stayed, you'd end up marrying someone else," the swordsman continued. Hope tried to imagine her life without Flynn, and it wasn't quite the same.

"Oh gods..." she whispered. Then she started crying. Duke got up and walked over to his daughter, sitting next to her and wrapping one arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. To his surprise, she didn't push him away and instead buried her face in his chest, his clothes soaking up her tears.

"I'm so glad you're alive..." Duke whispered, stroking her hair and resting his head on hers. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I promise I won't ever again."

"D-dad..." Hope managed to gasp out, grasping at Duke's clothes.

"Hope...I love you so much," Duke said.  
\------------------------------------

"Wait up, Mai!" a young Duke shouted to a little girl with her light brown hair tied up in two pigtails. She glanced back, her golden eyes glinting devilishly.

"Pick up the pace, Duke!" Mai called back, running outside the barrier.

"You know our parents said not to go outside the barrier!" Duke said nervously to her.

"That's just something they say to scare us!" Mai replied. "Man up, Duke! I've never been outside the barrier!"

"But what about the m-monsters said to be lurking outside the barrier...?" Duke asked nervously. Mai turned to face him and sighed.

"Honestly, Duke! You can be such a baby! We're almost ten, so I'm sure we can handle ourselves. Plus if we do run into trouble, you'll protect me, right?"

Duke sighed. He knew there was no point in arguing with Mai when she gets like this. "Fine, whatever..."

"Then get over here!" Mai demanded. Duke walked with his head down in defeat to his best friend. As Mai took in the scene around her, she gasped. "Wow! This is a hundred times better than staring at Talard all day!"

Duke sighed. Their city, Talard, was right next to Zaphias, so there are a lot of Knights patrolling the town, making it hard for the two to sneak out. This wasn't Mai's first attempt to go outside the barrier and had been caught each time by the Knights. They had met when they were just barely five. The city was built along a cliff. The higher status your family, the higher up you lived. Mai and her parents lived near the bottom and Duke's at the top. Mai wanted to see how the nobles lived, so she snuck up there. She saw where they lived and was about to turn back when a shout got her attention.

"Daddy, who's that strange girl?"

Mai slowly turned around. A little boy with crimson eyes and shoulder-length silver hair was pointing at her. Next to him was a tall man with short green hair and matching red eyes. He froze and scooped up the little boy.

"What do you want?!" the man demanded. "I can tell by your clothes that you're a commoner!"

Mai looked down at her clothes. She wore a bright yellow tank top and blue shorts with holes in them.

"I...just wanted to see what it was like up here..." she whispered, on the verge of tears. The man sounded angry at her. The little boy stared up at his dad.

"Daddy, you're scaring her."

"Duke, just let the Knights handle this," his dad said sternly. "She's not supposed to be up here."

"Why not?" Duke asked.

"Because she's not a noble, son," Duke's father replied.

"She doesn't seem all that bad," Duke commented. "Put me down." Duke struggled until his dad was forced to put the little boy down. As soon as he could, he dashed over to Mai. "I'm Duke. What about you?"

"Mai..."

"Duke! Get away from her and let the Knights capture her!" Duke's father yelled. Duke grabbed Mai's arm.

"No way!" Duke shouted. "If the Knights want her, they'll have to go through me!"

"Duke..." his father sighed. "Fine, we'll take her home. Happy?"

"As long as she doesn't get hurt!" Duke snapped. Mai showed them to her house. As soon as she approached the front door, her mother burst out and scooped Mai up, hugging her tightly. Her bright red hair was sticking up all over.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Mai!" her mom sobbed. "We were so worried about you!"

"Your daughter was checking out us nobles," Duke's father said.

"Thank you so much for getting her home!" Mai's mother exclaimed. "I'm Carrie Ledt."

"Steve Pantarei."

The two families saw each other a week after. Soon the visits were becoming more frequent that soon Duke and Mai saw each other almost every day.

"Don't blame me if things go bad," Duke grumbled, going back to the present.

"Oh, be quiet!" Mai snapped. Unseen by either of them, a pack of wolf-like monsters were sneaking up on them.

"You act without thinking, and that's what gets you hurt!" Duke retorted. The monsters pounced, getting the attention of the two kids. Just as the monsters were going to land, a large white dragon with tufts of white fur swooped in, killing the monsters. It turned to the two children, staring at them with wide green eyes.

"Great, now we have to deal with an even bigger monster!" Mai exclaimed.

"Totally your fault..." was all Duke said as he stared at the massive creature.

"Not a monster, an Entelexeia," the dragon boomed. "I am Elucifur, king of today's Entelexeia."

"You can talk?!" Mai demanded.

"I can, as can most other Entelexeia," Elucifur replied.

"Why'd you save us? What's in it for you?" Duke asked.

"Even though you are humans, I couldn't stand idly by as children are about to be killed," Elucifur said. "I must go now; the other Entelexeia need me."

"What's the difference between a monster and an Entelexeia?" Mai asked.

"The differences are many, but I haven't the time to list them all. Goodbye, for now." With that, Elucifur flew away.

"...You saw that too, didn't you...?" was all Mai said.

"...I'm afraid so..." Duke replied.  
\-----------------------------------

From then on, the two spent their time learning about the Entelexeia. Before they knew it, both were eighteen and were travelling all around the world. Mai wore her hair in a bun and Duke's hair was to his elbows. He had it tied back in a ponytail.

"Done with Phaeroh," Mai sighed. "I still think he could stand to be a little less cold and prickly."

"Stop whining," Duke replied. His voice had gotten much deeper, almost to how it is now.

"Khroma will meet us at the Wesand of Cados aer krene, right?" Mai asked.

"She should..." Duke replied. The two trekked through the desert, easily taking down monsters between Mai's scythe and Duke's sword. At last, they made it to the massive cave and went through it to the aer krene. However, Khroma wasn't there.

"Dammit, where is she?!" Mai spat.

"We must be early..." Duke murmured. Mai growled and was stomping back and forth.

"She'd better not keep us waiting! It's as hot as hell in here!"

"Just shut up for once..." Duke sighed. Mai ignored him and continued to rant.

"And why here of all places?!"

"You know Weccea's too hard for us to reach. Her other base is here," Duke replied.

"I know, I know," Mai said.

"If you know that much, then stop whining," Duke retorted. Mai huffed and stormed near the aer krene. "Mai! Watch out!"

"Huh?" was all Mai managed to say before Duke grabbed her, throwing themselves to one end of the dip. At the same time, the aer krene started glowing, red aer filling the water in the dip. "What the hell?!"

"Mai...are you okay...?" Duke grunted.

"I'm fine..." Mai replied. "This aer..." They weren't in the aer, but were close enough to feel it's effects.

"Dammit...! I...can't move...!" Duke managed to say.

"Neither can I...!" Mai added. "...If this keeps up...we're both dead...!" At that moment, Khroma swooped in. She saw Mai and Duke on the ground.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of this," Khroma said. She landed and opened her mouth, the aer going in it. Soon, the aer was gone and she watched as Mai and Duke struggled to their feet.

"What...was that?" Mai asked.

"Just a distortion caused by the blastia," Khroma replied.

"Distortion?" Duke echoed.

"That's correct," Khroma replied. "You know how blastia consume aer and the aer krene replenishes it. However, aer krene can pump out too much aer, resulting in what you just experienced."

They talked with Khroma and reached a peace agreement with her. It took just a few more months to talk to the other Entelexeia and they headed home. It would be only four years until Hope was born.


	18. Start of the War

"We're done," Duke breathed. He was staring at the apatheia of Rokka, Dein Nomos shining in his hand. Behind him, Elucifur breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the dragon winced, Duke spinning around to face him. "What's wrong?"

"One of my wings may be broken," he grimaced. Then he looked around. "Though, I may be lucky compared to some of the others." Duke saw what Elucifur meant. The Great War had taken its toll on both humans and Entelexeia. Bodies of both races were strewn around in Mt. Temza. Elucifur looked down at Duke. "You may want to get looked at. I'll go have the Empire look after me."

Duke was bleeding heavily from large cuts on his arm. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I need to see Mai and Hope."

"Very well then," Elucifur replied, bowing his head. "Until next time, farewell."  
\---------------------------------------------------------

When Duke arrived near his house, the area was in ruins. The Great War seemed to have reached this area. But he wasn't concerned with the state everything was in.

"Mai! Hope!" Duke shouted. When he reached his house, it looked as if a bomb had gone off in it. Most of the building was gone, with only a couple of walls still standing. "Mai...?" he called wearily, making his way to the remains of their bedroom. On the bed was a skeleton, with bits of clothing still on it. Duke was able to recognize it as Mai's.

"No..." Duke moaned, tears spilling from his scarlet eyes. He didn't even bother searching for Hope. If the war didn't kill her, she may have got eaten by some monsters. After his grieving, the man scooped up Mai's remains and buried them near the house. After he was done, he crouched down.

"I'll make sure to keep our promise, Mai," Duke murmured. "No matter what, I'll have humans and Entelexeia coexist peacefully."

\--------------------------------------------  
Duke went to the castle to see Elucifur. However, Knights grabbed him right away.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Duke demanded.

"Perfect timing, Duke," a voice laughed. Duke looked up to see Commandant Alexei walking toward him. "I get to kill two birds with one stone today."

"What do you mean?" Duke growled. Alexei smirked.

"I get Dein Nomos, and Elucifur dies."

"Why would you want to kill Elucifur?!" the man roared.

"You see, it would be problematic if he completely recovers," Alexei replied simply. "That's why we're killing him."

"Duke!" Elucifur howled from one end of the castle yard. Ropes were around him to hold the dragon down. A large harpoon on a catapult was moved near the Entelexeia.

"Elucifur! I'm coming to save you!" Duke yelled. He tried to get to the Entelexeia, but the Knights held him back. Alexei laughed and pointed to the Knight in charge of the harpoon.

"Do it," he ordered. The Knight pulled a lever and the harpoon went sailing right into Elucifur's chest. The Entelexeia's eyes went wide once before his body began glowing and he became an apatheia.

"No!" Duke exclaimed. Alexei walked over to the man, one hand out.

"Now, give me Dein Nomos, you thief," he said. Duke's eyes went wide with rage.

"First, I lose my wife and daughter, then you kill my best friend!"

"What are you mumbling about?" Alexei asked. "If you won't give me Dein Nomos, I'll have to just take it by force. The sword began glowing, a magic circle appearing under Duke. The shields at it's edges rose up and knocked the Knights restraining the swordsman away. Duke took this chance to run away.

"Capture him!" Alexei yelled. Knights began chasing Duke, but he was too fast for them. He eventually got out of the city and has been on the run ever since.  
\--------------------------------------

Back in the present, Duke chuckled, remembering Mai. Hope looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just that your attitude is very similar to Mai's."

"Whatever..." the Knight mumbled, resting her head in Duke's lap. Duke chuckled.  
\-------------------------------

"About time!" Yuri exclaimed. Several weeks have gone by. Lumen had arrived.

"What's going on, Yuri?" Hope called out. She had just left her cabin with Flynn. Yuri glanced over at them.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" Hope's face went as red as Rita's clothes.

"Just shut the hell up! It wasn't like that!" the girl fumed.

"Can it, Yuri," Flynn added.

"It's only natural fer us ta guess," Raven piped up, leaving his cabin, everyone else doing the same.

"I swear, one of these days I'll kill him!" Hope growled.

"Anyway, what's up?" Shu asked.

"Us," a female voice replied. Octavia showed up and entered the city, along with several other Entelexeia and the spirits.

"I got Pluto and Ratatosk to help," Chronos said, gesturing to two other spirits.

The spirit of eternity, Pluto, looked like a large skeleton wearing black armor except for on his head. In his right hand was a large black spear shaped like a bolt of lightning. Around his head were several smaller hands reaching up. In each hand was a ball of darkness.

The spirit of monsters, Ratatosk, looked like a teenaged boy with short blonde hair with one piece sticking straight up and red eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt with a black scarf, black fingerless gloves, black pants, and black-and-yellow shoes. Hanging over his tailbone was a sword.

"Where do you think Jennuir is?" Aska asked.

"In the Truffdae Mountains," Tarkovsky replied. "We'll attack there."

"Hope and Leon saw Isobu enter there," Flynn added.

"Very well," Octavia said.

\-------------------------------------------  
The group flew on Mirin, one of the Entelexeia from the Alrodoh faction. The spirits and Entelexeia who could flew. The one who couldn't swam or had the flying Entelexeia carry them. At last, they reached the Truffdae Mountains.

"Do not falter!" Matilda's voice sounded from the Rosekstan battleship. Sleipnirs appeared from it.

"Where are they?" Hope asked, looking over the side of the massive hawk-like Entelexeia. A large energy beam nearly hit the group. Ba'ul howled.

"Ba'ul said he sees one of the enemy!" Judith exclaimed. She pointed at the mountains. Following her finger, the group saw a lizard-like Entelexeia with eight legs and a beard tipped with black clinging to the mountains. Near her was a Phantom Rift.

"So that's where they've been hiding!" Efreet snarled. He stuck one palm out and launched a fireball at the Entelexeia. She scurried away in time to dodge it, the mountain shaking from the explosion.

"Descend and attack!" Origin ordered. At the same time, several enemy Entelexeia appeared, launching a barrage of energy blasts.

"Feather Protect!"

"Crystal Wall!"

"Ice Shield!"

The three barriers from Phoenix, Albiheim, and Celsius defended the ones in the sky.

"You're dead!" Volt roared, a purple sphere surrounding him as he charged, slamming into one of the enemies. Raven took aim and fired an arrow at a giant bear-like Entelexeia. It swatted the arrow away with ease, but provided a good distraction for Muzet.

"Surprise!" she shouted, throwing a large ball of gravity at the Entelexeia. At the same time, the Entelexeia on the water reached the mountains.

"Into the mountains!" Octavia shouted up to the group. "We'll handle this! Go! Now!"

"What?" Shu asked.

"Summon your Shadow, dumbass!" Delphinium snapped. She summoned Chimera and hopped on him, the Shadow scooping up Yuri, Estelle, Karol, Rita, Raven, Repede, Patty, Flynn, Hope, Leon, and Rutee.

"Odin!" Logi shouted and hopped on his Shadow. He had Odin scoop up Judith, Duke, Shu, Jiro, Kluke, Marumaro, Bouquet, Andropov, Marumira, and Marutora. Both Shadows flew into the Phantom Rift.  
\---------------------------

"So this is the inside of the mountains?!" Karol exclaimed. The Phantom Rift came out into a large cavern with numerous sparkling crystals in the wall. Chimera and Odin dropped off the group, both Shadows returning behind their wielders.

"Something's coming!" Judith hissed, facing a large tunnel and taking her spear out. Everyone else took out their weapons and the wielders summoned their Shadows, Delphinium summoning Hydra and having him be next to Chimera.

"I wonder who it'll be," Hope murmured. They heard footsteps approaching them, the cavern shaking with each one. Then, Mo'ang and Allon appeared in the cavern.

"Payback time!" Mo'ang said.

"I'll enjoy grinding you into dust!" Allon added. He curled into a ball and rolled at the group, spines tearing up the rocks.

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted. The blue energy beam collided with Allon, stopping the rhino. However, he kept spinning into the beam.

"Moonbeam!" Judith called out, teleporting above Allon. But just then, a blade of wind collided with her and knocked the Krityan back. "Was that Mo'ang?!"

"Don't forget about me!" Mo'ang sneered, flying up.

"Grave!" Leon shouted. Spikes of earth erupted from the wall and moved to pierce Mo'ang. However, another blade of wind appeared, slicing the earth in two.

"That definitely was not Mo'ang!" Hope gasped. "Oh no- -" An energy beam from inside the tunnel took everyone by surprise.

"Feather Protect!" Kluke shouted, a giant blue shield protecting everyone in the beam's path. However, crack appeared on it. Before long the shield broke, sending Kluke, Hope, Flynn, Andropov, Karol, Repede, Patty, and Shu flying. Blue Dragon, who was holding off Allon, went back too. The rhino hit everyone else, sending them flying back as well.

"A third one?!" Yuri exclaimed. Allon went back to standing near Mo'ang. Mo'ang smirked and looked behind him at the tunnel.

"They know you're in there, Jiin, so you may as well come out." A third Entelexeia appeared. She looked like a large butterfly standing on two legs. She had two long arms with clawed hands and a long feather coming out of each side of her head.

"Radiant Dragon!" Duke shouted. Jiin had one wing in front of her to defend herself from the attack, creating a smokescreen and leaving not even a scratch on her. As she took a step forward, Mo'ang and Allon gasped.

"Two down, one to go," Delphinium said. Using the smokescreen for cover, she had Hydra move behind Mo'ang and Allon and stab them both in the heart. As they both turned into apatheias, Jiin scowled at Delphinium.

"You'll regret that!" Jiin hissed. Hydra moved to attack Jiin, but the feathers turned into sharp spears and struck Hydra, sending the Shadow back.

"Waves of Rage!"

"Blitz Claw!"

Jiin used one wing to defend herself from Minotaur's attack and used one hand to grab Saber-Tiger's before opening her mouth to release an energy beam at the two Shadows to send them back.

"Not a single attack can make it past her!" Shu complained.

"We could use our Mystic Artes to take her down," Yuri said. "But it would be a while until we could use them again."

"Then don't use them!" Kluke exclaimed. "Save them for Jennuir!"

"We know, but no other attack seems to make it past her!" Hope retorted.

"Many multiple attacks..." Flynn murmured. Then his eyes widened. "Of course! Andropov!"

"Got it!" Andropov replied. "Rock Weapon!" While Jiin was distracted blocking the attacks, Judith ran at the Entelexeia.

"Rising Moonlight Havoc!" The aerial attacks staggered Jiin as Odin went in.

"Gungnir Rising!" Jiin used her wings to block the attack, but didn't see Patty.

"Little Big Chef!" While Patty was using her arte, Rita used Aqua Laser, Raven used Inverno, and Repede used Cyclone Shot.

"Son of a- -" Jiin started to say, but Delphinium had Chimera use Graviton Ball. Jiin thrust out one hand to block the attack, but was unprepared for Yuri and Flynn's combination of Azure Edge and Demon Fang.

"Use your power, Estelle!" Judith shouted.

"Right!" Estelle replied and ran up to the staggered Entelexeia.

"I won't let you!" Jiin roared and flapped one of her wings, making a blade of wind fly at the princess.

"Dragon Claw!" Hope shouted, sending Jiin's attack off-course while Yuri grabbed Estelle and pulled her away.

"That was close!" Raven exclaimed.

"Looks like this won't be as easy as we thought," Hope commented.

"Then we have to keep trying!" Shu replied before being enveloped in a blue light. "Crushing Nails!"

"Devil Rage Rise!"

"Eternal Breath!"

Jiin flew back to avoid the attacks and fired an energy beam at the group, smoke flying up from where it hit. Wings surrounded them. Bouquet and Hippo transformed into Jiin and used the wings to defend the group. As she turned back to normal, the group looked at her.

"Thanks!" Shu exclaimed while Marumira charged up.

"Moon Howl!"

Jiin flew up to dodge the attack, but Cerberus' attack rocked the cavern, causing rocks from above to rain down and bury Jiin. As she turned into an apatheia, Estelle turned to the others.

"Any injuries?"

"Don't worry about it; we're in for tougher fights," Yuri replied. Judith nodded.

"Right. Let's go."


	19. The Tailed Beasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These were to be separated into different chapters, but they were shorter than I wanted, so I thought "Eh, what the hell?"
> 
> BTW, for Hope's voice, it'll be like Natalia's from Tales of the Abyss. Once I'm better, I'll draw a picture.

The cavern began to shake and footsteps were heard.

"Get ready," Yuri warned. A giant raccoon appeared. It was just as tall as the tunnel, and the cavern was one and a half its height. It glared at the three apatheia with narrowed, cross-like pupils

"Bah! Pathetic!" it growled.

"Is that any way to talk about your fallen comrades, Shukaku?" Hope spat. Shukaku looked faintly surprised she knew his name, but went back to glaring at the group.

"They were weak, so they died," Shukaku replied. He raised one giant hand. "And so will all of you." A giant wave of sand appeared and headed toward the group. They leapt out of the way, Phoenix flying high up.

"Eternal Breath!" Kluke shouted. However, a wall of sand that formed in front of Shukaku blocked it.

"Waves of Rage!" Shukaku held out one hand, Minotaur's punches landing on sand as he hit it.

"Gungnir Rising!"

"Graviton Ball!" However, the wall of sand rose up and blocked the two attacks.

"Tch! Nothing is getting through!" Blue Dragon roared. Shukaku began laughing.

"It's my ultimate defense and nothing can get through it!" Saber-Tiger flew around the sand right at Shukaku.

"I bet it can't keep up with me!" Saber-Tiger taunted and prepared for Sonic Scissors. Shukaku used his huge tail to swat the Shadow away.

"Conquer!" Shukaku raised a wall of sand to block the lightning strike. However it went through the defense and struck Shukaku's left side, leaving a small burn on it.

"What the hell?" Rita was the first to say. "How'd that work and nothing else did?" Shukaku growled and thrust out one hand.

"Get back!" Andropov shouted and shoved Kluke away, who was caught by Jiro. Sand grabbed Andropov and wrapped around him. Only his Shadow was out of it and was shooting crystals at the sand.

"Sand Burial!" Shukaku clenched shut that one hand. In an instant, the sand squeezed around Andropov and blood exploded from it, Albiheim exploding. Everyone's eyes widened as the sand slithered back with the rest.

"...Oh gods..." Hope gasped, mouth agape. Kluke covered her mouth with one hand then began crying in Jiro's chest, Jiro staring in shock.

"Did that really just happen...?" was all Delphinium said. Karol doubled over and threw up. Deathroy stared jaw-dropped where Andropov was.

"Blue Explosion!" Shu shouted, enraged. A sand shield rose up and blocked it.

"We won't get anywhere like that!" Judith snapped and charged at Shukaku. "Thunder Moon!" Part of the Entelexeia turned into sand, but the arte broke through it and injured the raccoon.

"Again?" Leon piped up.

"Lightning-based attacks seem to do the trick!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Here's the test!" Raven said. "Tempest!" The sand rose over Shukaku's head, but the lightning penetrated it.

"Little maggots!" Shukaku roared. He swished his tail, but Chimera's Graviton Ball blocked it. As he prepared another attack, Rita and Hope finished chanting.

"Thunder Blade!" they shouted. The two swords cut Shukaku and sent him stumbling back. Repede used Lightning Dog and Raven finished it with another Tempest, Shukaku turning into an apatheia.

\--------------------------------  
"I'm tired!" Patty complained as the group walked down the tunnel.

"What do you want me to do about it?!" Yuri snapped. He was ready to wring Patty's neck.

"Carry me!" she exclaimed. Yuri gave her a glare.

"Hell no! You have legs, don't you?! Then walk! (1)" (Lucky Patty. She can walk, unlike me.) When they came into another cavern, there was a giant panther that's entire body looked like blue flames. One eye was yellow and the other green. She had two tails.

"I'm guessing you're Matatabi," Yuri said.

"How'd you learn that?!" she demanded.

"From Fusrodah," Yuri replied. Matatabi crouched down, ready to pounce.

"Ah yes, him. He got the same punishment all traitors will get: His apatheia was destroyed!"

"What?!" Hope exclaimed, taking out Last Fencer. The Shadows remained out. Matatabi spat out a fireball and Kraken blocked it with Great Hurricane, creating a large field of mist. Matatabi leapt through it, claws outstretched and roaring.

"Not on your life!" Minotaur exclaimed and tackled the Entelexeia to the ground.

"Sharpness!" Estelle shouted and light surrounded Flynn's blade as he rushed in to cut Matatabi. She used one tail to swat Minotaur away and got up, raking at Flynn with one paw.

"Mrrrrrrrrrr..." Matatabi snarled. Yuri ran at her, swinging his sword.

"Final Gale!" Matatabi used one tail to block and spat a fireball at him.

"Feather Protect!" While Matatabi was focused on the shield around Yuri, Duke ran in and succeeded in cutting the panther.

"First Aid!" Rutee managed to close Yuri's cuts.

"Demon Fang!"

"Gungnir Rising!"

"Hornet Sting!"

"Blitz Claw!" Matatabi fired a small Aer Bomb and it blocked the attacks from Leon, Odin, Hope, and Saber-Tiger.

"Feather Protect!" Even though it was futile, Phoenix managed to lessen the damage. The explosion rocked the mountain, causing a few rocks to fall.

"Another one would cave the mountains in!" Hope shouted. Duke went into Overlimit.

"Big Bang!" he shouted, sending Matatabi flying back.

"I thought we agreed to save Mystic Artes for Jennuir!" Yuri snapped.

"There was no other choice," Duke told him. Matatabi got back up.

"MrrrrrrrrrrROWR!" Matatabi growled.

"Time to put the kitty down!" Yuri said. Matatabi spat a fireball, but Phoenix used Eternal Breath to cancel it. Yuri finished it with Dragon Swarm. As Matatabi turned into an apatheia, a three-tailed tortoise with heavy plating walked in.

"What's all this commotion?!" he demanded. As everyone stared, it looked at the apatheia. "Matatabi got done in, huh?"

"Isobu?" Hope asked. The tortoise turned to stare at Hope.

"That's the one we saw!" Leon whispered to her. Isobu curled up into a ball and rolled at the group.

"Variable Trigger!" Patty shouted, but the bullets bounced uselessly off. Karol used Destruction Street to make a dent in the ground. As he fell in it, Blue Dragon used Blue Explosion and Minotaur used Conquer. The two attacks sent Isobu back and Hope charged at the Entelexeia. Isobu quickly spat a bullet of water and knocked her away.

"Gimme a break!" she spat as Judith charged in.

"New Moon Blade!" she shouted. Isobu used one tail to defend himself and swatted the Krityan away. Repede used this chance to run past her and use Ghost Wolf. However, the dagger wasn't big enough to cut the thick plating.

"Nothing will work unless we do something about the armor!" Yuri exclaimed.

"There's a weak spot down there!" Hope told him, pointing to Isobu's soft red underbelly. Rita nodded and began chanting.

"Ivy Rush!" she shouted. The sharp ivy sprouted up under Isobu and seemed to hurt him.

"Blitz Claw!" Marumaro called out as Saber-Tiger rose up from the ground and slashed the Entelexeia's belly. Isobu curled up into a ball again to prevent any more attacks. Karol ran forward and went into Overlimit.

"Wait, Karol!" Yuri started to shout, but Karol was already using his Mystic Arte.

"Overlord Reign Impact!" he yelled, destroying Isobu's shell with his smash.

"Think next time!" Rita scolded, walking up to Karol and hitting the boy in the back of the head. Isobu staggered around from the attack as Marumira leapt up.

"Moon Howl!" she shouted. While she was attacking Isobu with that, Delphinium had Chimera use Graviton Ball. Bouquet and Hippo transformed into Shukaku to hold Isobu down while Raven finished the Entelexeia with a well-aimed arrow.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
A red ape with four tails looked up at the sound of a loud bang. A white mountain goat with five tails looked at him.

"You might want to check that out, Son," she suggested.

"Whatever..." he grumbled and went through the tunnel towards the noise. When he reached the cavern, a group made up mostly with humans stood in front of an apatheia.

"Isobu's done. Now, who're you?" Yuri asked.

"I am Son Goku," Son replied. "And you must be those intruders we heard about." Son opened his mouth and spat out a green ball of fire. Everyone managed to dodge it in time.

"I thought we were done with the fire at Matatabi!" Yuri exclaimed. Son clenched a giant fist and leapt high up, coming down and punching the ground, knocking everyone off their feet as the cavern shook. A five-tailed Entelexeia came out of the tunnel.

"Son!" she yelled. "You almost caved the mountain in!"

"My apologies, Kokuo, but I'm trying to kill these pests."

"Maybe I can help," Kokuo said. She lowered her head and charged.

"We have to deal with two of them!" Patty griped and she jumped out of the way of Kokuo. Judith held her staff in front of her to block Son's fireball. She was sent back, but was caught by Kraken. Kokuo spun around to the Shadow Wielders and tried to stomp on them with one hoof.

"Eternal Breath!" The attack unbalanced the mountain goat while Rutee joined in and cast the spell Splash. Son tried to smash the group, but Duke held him off with Dragon Ascendant. Unseen by the others, Estelle went into Overlimit.

"Divine judgment for an evil soul...Sacred Penance!" The Mystic Arte killed Son Goku, who was heavily damaged by the others, and knocked away Kokuo. When she landed, Yuri came over, scratching his head.

"Is it just me, or have you all forgotten about Jennuir?"  
\--------------------------------------------------

Shaking got the attention of a white slug with six tails. He headed toward its source and entered the cavern just as Kokuo became an apatheia.

"Kokuo's down. Now this one," Shu said. The slug showed anger.

"It's Saiken!" he exclaimed. "Honestly, where do you get off being so rude?" Everyone else sweatdropped.

"There's a weird one in the bunch..." Kraken muttered.

"Doesn't matter; Let's take it down!" Odin shouted and flew in to cut the slug with his spear. To defend himself, Saiken spat acid.

"Feather Protect!" The blue barrier protected Odin from the acid. Saiken's little hand curled into a fist and he threw a punch at Odin once the barrier was down. Minotaur went in between them and caught the punch.

"This'll take awhile..." Yuri huffed.  
\---------------------------------------------------

A gray-and-green dragonfly with six wings and one pale tail heard crashes and looked up, his partner, a gray-brown Entelexeia doing the same. The top half of the second looked like a bull and the bottom half like an octopus with eight tentacles.

"Looks like we have company, Gyuki," the dragonfly said. A moment later, the intruders came into the cavern. Acid burns were all over them and they seemed to be nearly exhausted.

"You handle this, Chomei," Gyuki said. "I'll tell Kurama about our new toys." As soon as the Entelexeia left, Chomei lifted his tail and fire in a tornado was launched at the group. They dodged the attack, it hitting the wall and causing rocks to fall.

\--------------------------------------------------  
"I'm telling you it's true!" Gyuki insisted. He was in the main cavern with Kurama and Jennuir. The top was twice as high as the others.

"How could they have gotten past the others?!" Jennuir demanded.

"Because of the tight space, we can't use Aer Bomb," Gyuki replied. Jennuir growled.

"Help Chomei then!" Jennuir ordered. Gyuki bowed and vanished into the tunnel. Kurama turned to Jennuir.

"You sure about this?" he asked. Jennuir snapped his head around.

"Shut up!" he roared, making Kurama cower. "Don't question me!"

"I-I apologize, My Lord..." Kurama whimpered.

\-------------------------------------------  
There was a lot of noise, but then it went quiet.

"What happened?!" Jennuir demanded. "Kurama: Check it out!"

"Yes, My Lord," Kurama replied and went through the tunnel. When he entered the cavern, he saw Chomei's apatheia. Flynn's sword was in Gyuki and ink was everywhere. Flynn pulled it out and Gyuki became an apatheia.

"Kurama, huh?" Hope said. She was breathing heavily, as was everyone else. Kurama roared and sprang at the group, but was knocked down by Kraken's Great Hurricane. Odin sliced one of Kurama's legs with his spear, but the Entelexeia used one tail to swat the Shadow down. Chimera used Graviton Ball and Kurama defended himself with his tails. Kurama roared and struck at hope with one claw as she ran in for an attack. The claw flew at Hope. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for the pain. But it never came.

"What in the- -" Yuri gasped. Hope opened her eyes then widened them, pupils shrinking in horror.

"No..." Estelle whispered.

"...Huh?" Shu said.

"Oh man..." Rita managed to say.

"This can't happen..." Hope murmured, starting to cry.

"Bastard!" Kurama growled and pulled his claw back. Leon and Rutee stopped their casting to take in the scene. Tears were flowing down Hope's face creating red streaks from the blood that flew on it.

"Dad!" Hope screamed, catching Duke as he fell backwards. There was a large amount of blood coming from a hole in his abdomen. Estelle and Rutee ran over and began performing healing artes on Duke.

"H-Hope..." he chocked out and covered his mouth with one hand, coughing into it, blood flying from between his fingers.

"Dammit, help him!" Hope shouted at Estelle and Rutee.

"We're trying, but we have to heal some serious damage!" Rutee snapped.

"Hurry the hell up, then!" she exclaimed. Kurama attempted to attack Hope, but Yuri and the others held him back.

"Like hell you're gonna do anything!" Yuri growled. Blood was spreading around Hope. As she began to cry, Duke caressed her left cheek with one shaky hand.

"...Hope...it's too...late..." he breathed, blood dripping from his chin as he spoke each word.

"Hope..." Flynn whispered and walked behind her, hugging the Knight. Duke withdrew his hand, crimson stains on Hope's cheek.

"...I...wish...I...could've...seen...your...kids..." Duke was barely breathing now, his blood staining Hope's lap.

Tears were spilling from Hope's eyes as the light in Duke's began to fade. "You'll live through this...Right?"

"I'm so sorry..." Estelle murmured and drew away her blood-soaked hands.

"There's too much internal damage..." Rutee added sadly. Hope's eyes widened in disbelief.

"...You're lying..." Hope breathed. Duke moved his hand to the hilt of Dein Nomos and grasped it, lifting it up and passing it to Hope.

"...Take this...and win...the...war..." Duke coughed. As Hope reluctantly took it, Duke closed his eyes.

"Don't go!" Hope screamed. Duke weakly opened them just barely.

"...You...look...like...Mai..." With that, Duke closed his eyes and didn't open them again.

"Dad..." Hope sobbed, setting Dein Nomos beside her and hugged Duke's body. Everyone stopped to stare.

"Just another worm dead!" Kurama laughed.

"Shut up!" Kluke shouted, facing the fox. Hope slowly set Duke's body down, silver hair covering her eyes. She grabbed Dein Nomos and stood up.

"Son of a bitch!" she screamed, holding her head up. Her eyes were narrowed in rage and she grit her teeth, charging at Kurama. The Entelexeia swished one orange tail, trying to hit Hope, but she leapt up.

White light enveloped Dein Nomos and stretched, looking like a staff. She spun it and it hit Kurama's face. She threw it up and grabbed it near the ceiling. "Soulstoke Celebration!" She came flying back down, energy enveloping her body. When she finished running Kurama through, she landed on one knee, Dein Nomos going back to normal. As she looked up, Kurama reverted to an apatheia. "That's for Dad..."

"Okay, scary..." Yuri said. "All that's left is Jennuir?"

"Let's go and win!" Shu shouted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for killing Andropov and Duke (not really!). There should be two more chapters left!
> 
> (1): When I asked my mom if I can use the bathroom, she said "Can you?" so I got to say "No, I can't."


	20. Jennuir

The group made their way into the last cavern where Jennuir was.

"I take it you defeated the other Entelexeia, huh?" he snarled.

"From your lack of surprise, I take it you expected that?" Yuri asked. The Shadows readied themselves.

"Without their Aer Bomb, they're weak," Jennuir replied coldly.

"'Weak' killed my father!" Hope snapped, raising Dein Nomos.

"And Andropov!" Kluke and Logi shouted. Phoenix and Odin each unleashed a melee attack on Jennuir. The Entelexeia used one wing to block the attacks and roared, the force of it sending them flying away. Just as they passed her, Hope went into level 1 Overlimit and charged at Jennuir, using her Burst Arte, Dance of the Inferno. She spun in a full circle to her left, swinging Dein Nomos covered in flames. Then, she followed it up with multiple horizontal slashes and finished it up by jumping into the air and came down, bringing the flaming sword in a downward motion. The flames vanished and she looked up to see how much damage she did. Jennuir used his tail as a shield to defend himself.

"Damn! Nothing got through!" Blue Dragon roared and charged up for Blue Explosion. As he did so, Hippo merged with the Shadow to give it extra power and Chimera used Graviton Ball. Jennuir flew up to avoid Chimera's attack and didn't see Blue Explosion fired at him. Jennuir held one wing in front of him to block the attack, but it hit before the defense was finished, sending him plummeting down.

"Savage Wolf Fury!" Yuri shouted. As he used his Mystic Arte, Patty used Summon Friends. Her Mystic Arte made everyone's wound recover. The Entelexeia only blocked the first of Yuri's strikes with his tail, but was unable to defend against the rest of the Mystic Arte. When Yuri slashed through him, the dragon growled and raised one giant hand and swiped at the swordsman. Minotaur threw it off with Sky Terror.

Repede howled and went into Overlimit and used Divine Dog before using his Mystic Arte, Slash. Once he was done, Rita followed it up with Ancient Catastrophe and Raven used Blast Heart Then Odin finished the combo with Gungnir Rising. Jennuir blocked Slash, but wasn't able to block Rita or Raven's Mystic Artes but blocked Gungnir Rising after getting desperate. Jennuir suddenly had ice form around him.

"Embrace End!" Rutee shouted as the ice burst, damaging Jennuir.

"Damn brats!" Jennuir roared and swung his tail at the group. Kluke was able to defend most of them with Feather Protect and Estelle and Rutee healed those that weren't as Raven used Rain. Jennuir knocked the arrow down with one hand, distracting him long enough for Judith to use Raging Luna Storm, knocking the Entelexeia off his feet. As he landed on his back, Kraken and Cerberus held him down while Karol used Rending Drop on his belly. Jennuir roared and used all his strength to knock the two Shadows off of him and righted himself. Flynn used that chance to use Radiant Dragon Fang while Hope used Rising Dragon afterwards. Bouquet, who had been hit with Jennuir's tail, transformed into him and used the tail to strike the dragon.

By now, Jennuir was breathing heavily, his entire body covered with cuts and wounds. He couldn't defend himself when Judith used Radiant Moonlight and Marutora followed it up with Great Hurricane.

"This is for Andropov!" Kluke shouted. Flames filled Phoenix's mouth. "Eternal Breath!" Jennuir started glowing, having reached his limit.

"We did it!" Shu exclaimed. Blue Dragon huffed and smiled. Jennuir roared and collapsed on the ground.

"Finally!" Hope panted, sticking Dein Nomos in the ground and leaning her weight into it.

"Woof!" Repede barked, running up to Yuri and Flynn and nuzzling their legs.

"Don't...think it's over," Jennuir chuckled. He suddenly stood up, surprising everyone.

"Want some more, tora?!" Marutora exclaimed

"I still have my trump card," Jennuir growled. "Ysmiru's apatheia! Plus, the apatheia of my servants! This makes my true form!"

"How do you have Ysmiru's apatheia?!" Judith demanded.

"Because I'm the one that killed him," Jennuir replied. "Once he was dead, I simply hid his apatheia. Now come!"

Ysmiru's apatheia and those of the Tailed Beasts gathered around Jennuir.

"Behold, my ultimate form!" he roared.

As Jennuir's body took in the apatheia, it began to change. A skeletal structure appeared and covered his body like armor. His wings grew to twice the size of normal ones. Nine extra tails sprouted to accompany the one he already had. His body got almost as big as the top of the cavern and an eye opened in the middle of his forehead. It was red with three circles in it with three tomonos in the center circle. The apatheia rested at the top of his chest, under the bone plate.

"Oh man, we're in serious trouble," Yuri said, gawking at Jennuir.

"Now's not the time for your jokes!" Hope shouted. Jennuir slammed one hand down on the group. everyone reacted in time to dodge it, except Kluke and Hope. Jiro grabbed Kluke and Flynn grabbed Hope, both getting the two girls away. Dust flew up from the impact.

"There is no hope for you!" Jennuir's voice, accompanied by a deeper voice everyone assumed belonged to Ysmiru, boomed.

"Take this!" Patty shouted, shooting her pistols at Jennuir's head, but the bullets bounced off the bone.

"He's tough!" Blue Dragon growled. He brought his fists down on Jennuir's back, but the spine blocked it. Jennuir roared and punched Blue Dragon into a wall.

"Get serious, Shu!" Jiro shouted. "Now, Minotaur! Waves of Rage!" The series of punches were aimed at the back of the dragon's neck, trying to shatter the bone, but they bounced uselessly off.

"These bones are as hard as diamonds!" Minotaur exclaimed. Jennuir used one tail to swat the Shadow away. As he flew back, Saber-Tiger flew up and spat fireballs at the huge dragon, but were effortlessly blocked by the bone at the top of one of Jennuir's wigs.

"I'm invincible in this form!" Jennuir laughed. Flynn and Hope leapt up.

"That's what you think!" Flynn shouted. "Demon Fang!"

"Dragon Claw!" Both attacks were aimed at Jennuir's left side, but the ribs deflected it. One hand raked at them. Since they wer in mid-air, they couldn't defend themselves. Flynn managed to grab Hope, taking the hit for her. A deep cut went across his back, knocking the breath out of him. As they landed, blood began to soak into his uniform, the liquid pooling around him as Estelle rushed over to them.

"Flynn!" Hope cried. Yuri took out Blazer Edge Abysion and charged at Jennuir.

"Damn you!" Yuri shouted, raising the fell arm up to bring it down on the dragon. A tail slammed into him, causing the man to fly back, blood flying from his mouth. Rutee rushed over to him and began to heal his wounds while Leon dashed at the Entelexeia, using his Mystic Arte.

"Infernal Suffering!" the teen exclaimed. Just as he was starting it, Jennuir used one tail to slam the teen into a wall, the Knight slamming his head into it and causing blood to drip down his face.

"Don't bother," Jennuir sneered. "With this new eye, I can see what you're about to do."

"We need to come up with a way to hit him without getting hit ourselves," Karol said.

"In the tunnels!" Hope exclaimed. "He's too big now to fit through them!"

"Good idea!" Yuri replied. As they ran to the tunnels, Jennuir laughed.

"Nice try!" Jennuir slammed his tails into the side of the cavern, causing a huge shockwave. Before everyone could get in the tunnels, they caved in. There was a hole in the side of the mountain that Jennuir used to fly out of. A large purple ball that turned scarlet formed in front of his mouth. "Aer Bomb!" The mountain exploded, everyone escaping on the Shadows just in time.

"Is everyone alright?!" Yuri demanded. Kluke, Hope, Rutee, and Leon whom were left behind appeared outside riding Phoenix. A giant blue shield surrounded the Shadow. Everyone else rode on Blue Dragon, Saber-Tiger, Kraken, Odin, or Chimera. Down at the battlefield, the war was still raging. Apatheia lay all over the battle-scarred earth. Chronos notice the group and fired a blue-and-black energy beam at Jennuir. The attack simply dissipated when it made contact with the bones covering Jennuir's left side. An Entelexeia saw the spirit and leaped at him. Undine created a shield of water to defend the spirit of time.

An Entelexeia attacked Maxwell, but the old man countered with Elemental Meteorites. Ratatosk used Devil's Hellfire to kill the Entelexeia. Celsius was attacked but used Maximum Burst to kill her attacker. Everyone seemed too distracted to aid the group against Perfect Jennuir. Without being on solid ground, many of the artes of the Terca Lumirans were weakened.

A spirit coated in flame with the form of a man appeared.

"Am I too late?" it asked.

"Late as usual, Lorelei," Pluto said, holding off another Entelexeia. Muzet went over to Chronos.

"What's the deal?!" she demanded, holding one hand behind her and using a burst of gravity to send an Entelexeia flying away.

"I invited him. Is that a problem?" Chronos replied, using one blade to cut a hole in time-space to knock away an enemy sneaking up on him. He sent out three full bits to hold it off while he talked to the other spirit. Each entity had three time bits with a ring connecting each of them.

"We never asked you to invite Lorelei," Muzet reminded him. The spirit of sound, Lorelei, held out one hand, a small black sphere forming in it.

"Big Bang!" he shouted as the sphere exploded, killing several enemies.

"I thought the late one might be of use," Chronos said with a shrug and went back to fighting. Muzet sighed and went back to it as well.

"Dragon Claw!" Hope aimed the attack at Jennuir's skull, but the attack hit without leaving a single scratch.

"Unbelievable!" Yuri exclaimed. He and Flynn tried a combination of Azure Edge and Demon Fang, but neither had any effect. Cerberus tried to smash the skull open with his bone, but it was rendered useless. Jennuir smirked and opened his mouth, another Aer Ball forming. As he fired it, Octavia used an energy beam to bounce it upwards, where it exploded, making everyone shield themselves from the shockwave. While they recovered, Jennuir grabbed Flynn, holding him up.

"Make any sudden movements, and the Knight dies," Jennuir sneered. Hope's eyes widened and she grit her teeth. Yuri cursed under his breath and no one dared to breathe. Unseen by Jennuir, Flynn struggled until he managed to free his sword.

"Demon Fang!" he shouted, aiming the attack at the dragon's chest. It hit an apatheia, making Jennuir howl in pain and drop the Knight, Blue Dragon catching him and releasing a Blue Explosion at Jennuir's arm. As the bone blocked the attack and created a smokescreen, Blue Dragon flew back to the others.

"Seems like his chest is his weak point," Judith observed. "Try aiming for there!"

"Easier said than done!" Yuri retorted. Jennuir shook the daze out of his head and went back to his normal position, hiding his chest. Saber-Tiger tried using his speed to hit the apatheia, but Jennuir's middle eye tracked him and he used one clawed hands to swat away the Shadow.

"Stone Blast!" Leon shouted. Some of the rubble from the battlefield rose up and assaulted the Entelexeia. While Jennuir defended himself with one hand, Odin flew in and struck an apatheia with his spear, shattering it. Jennuir growled and charged up an Aer Bomb, firing it at the Shadow. However, Rosekstan used their main battleship's cannon to knock it off-course. Jennuir snarled and roared at the battleship. Kluke thrust one hand out and used Feather Protect, defending the ship from the force of the roar.

"Worthless maggots!" Jennuir spat and flapped his wings at the group. Kluke, who was already shielding the ship, couldn't block the strong gust of wind that hit them and the Shadows were knocked back. Minotaur flew at Jennuir, using Waves of Rage. While Jennuir used one tail to block it, Saber-Tiger snuck in and used Blitz Claw and destroyed two more apatheia. He went for a third, but Jennuir slammed one hand down and hit the Shadow. Patty took careful aim and fired, shattering one more apatheia. Raven tried the same thing, but Jennuir swung one hand, taking down the arrow.

"Just six left!" Hope exclaimed and readied her sword to smash more, Phoenix flying in. Jennuir glared at them and swung his tails at them. At the same time, Chimera fired a Graviton Ball and destroyed another. Bouquet and Hippo turned into Jennuir's perfect form and used the wind attack. While Jennuir used his wings to defend himself, Judith leaped up from Chimera, using her spear to pierce and destroy another apatheia. Jennuir roared and started to panic, allowing Odin to sneak in easily and swung his spear, destroying the rest of the Tailed Beasts' apatheia, leaving only Ysmiru's.

"Just admit that you've lost, Jennuir!" Judith shouted.

"Never!" Jennuir gasped out in pain. The apatheia started glowing and more bone covered his body, almost hiding the apatheia. Hope sighed and fired a Dragon Claw, aiming for the Entelexeia's chest. But bone blocked it. The bone caused both Azure Edge and Eternal Breath to be made useless.

"Is it jus' me, o' does he seem tougher now?" Raven asked. Shu growled and had Blue Dragon use Blue Explosion. Jennuir flew over the Shadow, with the intention of flattening him, but Raven fired an arrow from the Shadow into the small hole over the apatheia and struck it. However, it wasn't deep enough to destroy it and the arrow stayed stuck in its mark. Jennuir howled and quickly flew back.

"Almost!" Yuri spat. Odin flew in and Repede used Cyclone Shot. But the hole was too small for him to fit through. Rita and Rutee tried to distract him with Splash while Kraken flew in for a strike. Before the Shadow even made contact, Jennuir swatted the Shadow away with his ten tails. From Blue Dragon, Flynn used Demonic Chaos. Jennuir flew up to dodge the arte and moved above Blue Dragon, firing several energy balls.

"Feather Protect!" Kluke shouted. The shield only held up for a little bit and shattered, many of the balls hitting Blue Dragon and sent the Shadow plummeting to the ground. Just as the others moved in to attack, Jennuir gasped and all the extra things on him vanished, the eye closing. With the bones gone, everyone could see the shards of the apatheia vanishing. Just as Blue Dragon was hit, Raven fired an arrow into the hole, pushing the other in so it broke the apatheia.

"Nooooo!" Jennuir wailed as he turned into an apatheia. His Entelexeia saw this and they turned tail and fled. Origin caught Jennuir's apatheia and crushed it. Verius flew up to the group.

"Thanks to you, we're finally free of Jennuir," she said. "If any of Jennuir's Entelexeia cause trouble, we'll finish them off."

"...It's finally over," Yuri breathed.


	21. Epilogue

Once everything was finished, the group went back to their respective homes. The mages used mana to create a weaker barrier, though monsters could still get in with more struggling. Many of Jennuir's followers only joined the dragon because they were scared of him and joined Octavia and the others in regulating the aer. Kluke made a grave for Andropov in Talta, with Logi joining her to mourn. Hope found Duke's body and buried him at Ehmead Hill, next to Elucifer. A night after they made up, Duke taught her the Hymn of Proof (1) and began humming it.

"Hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm hmmmmm. Hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm, hmm hmmmmm hmm." That was as far as she got when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head to its source.

"Kate! What are you doing here?!" Hope exclaimed. Katrina's eyes darkened sadly.

"Sorry 'bout your father..." she murmured. "Caius stayed in Dahngrest, so I came by myself."

"I see..." Hope whispered and went back to staring at Duke's grave. Katrina tenderly walked up behind her.

"...Mind finishing that song?" she suddenly asked. Hope nodded slowly and took a deep breath, picking up where she left off.

"Hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. Hmmmm, hmm-hmm-hmm. Hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmmmmm. Hmmmmm hmmmm. Hmmmmm hmmmm. Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm."

\--------------------------------------------  
Two years later, Hope was walking down the castle halls. She got a sheath for Dein Nomos and it hung at her side. For the past couple of weeks, she and Flynn had been trying for a baby. She would take a pregnancy test every morning and would tell him the results, like she was doing this morning. She opened his door and saw the Commandant with Yuri.

"Damn you!" Hope screamed, throwing a bunch of things, plus the pregnancy test in her hand, at Flynn. Yuri picked up the test while the blonde dodged for his life.

"What's gotten into you?!" Flynn demanded, narrowly ducking from a flying chair threatening to take his head off.

"Flynn, I think you knocked her up," Yuri said, staring wide-eyed at the pregnancy test. Flynn came over, dodging a potted plant.

"I did?" Flynn asked. Yuri nodded, pointing to the pink plus. A cabinet nearly hit him.

"Hey, watch it!" the long-haired man yelled at Hope. Flynn rested his face in one hand, shaking his head.

"...Great, nine more months of this..." he mumbled. At that moment, Hope chucked her sword, blade first, at Flynn. It sailed over his head and stuck itself into the wall behind him. Yuri leaped back.

"That was a close one!" he exclaimed.

"Like I said, nine more months of this..." Flynn groaned.

"Good luck; you'll need it," Yuri said, patting Flynn on the back.

\-----------------------------  
Nine months later, Flynn was sitting on a bench outside the castle's hospital with Yuri, Repede, Rita, Karol, Raven, Judith and Patty. Estelle was in the hospital with Hope.

"A father already..." Raven murmured. Yuri stared at Flynn as they heard Hope let out another scream.

'WHERE THE HELL IS HE?!" she shouted.

"Shouldn't you be in there with her?" Yuri asked. "She sounds pretty pissed."

"I don't know a damn thing about childbirth," Flynn replied, clenching his hands tighter as they heard another scream. "I'll just let Lady Estellise handle this."

"You don't need to do a thing; Just be there for her," Judith said. Flynn nodded and got up and headed for the door, but he bumped into Estelle who had just opened the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. "I was just about to tell you your baby's been born. It's a boy!" Flynn ran in, Estelle following but not before Yuri gave her a kiss on the forehead. In a hospital bed, Hope cradled a small bundle wrapped in blankets. Flynn came over and saw it was an infant. Estelle was the next to come over.

"What will his name be?" she asked.

"His name will be Samuel," Hope said. He had bright blue eyes, just like his father, but his green hair was very familiar.

"Congratulations..." Flynn murmured, pressing a kiss to her head. The others came in to see the newborn. Repede padded over and gave the baby an inquisitive stare. As everyone started saying what they thought, Hope was thinking that even though there were a lot of problems left, things seemed to be looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for this story! Tell me what you thought of it! I know this was short, but it was wrapping up the story.
> 
> (1) Tales of Xillia 2 anyone?


End file.
